NORTHERN IRELAND

Departmental Vacancies

Mike Freer: To ask the Secretary of State for Northern Ireland what the staff vacancy rate was for his Department in 2010-11; and what vacancy rate has been assumed in his Department's budget for 2011-12.

Owen Paterson: My Department has not carried any vacant posts during 2010-11 and has reduced its size from 173 to 164 during this period. No vacancy rate has been assumed for the 2011-12 budget.

PRIME MINISTER

Afghanistan: Armed Conflict

David Winnick: To ask the Prime Minister whether he plans to have discussions with the US administration on the ending of military operations in Afghanistan earlier than previously planned as a result of the death of Osama bin Laden.

David Cameron: I refer the hon. Member to the answer I gave on 3 May 2011, Official Report, column 469, to my hon. Friend the Member for Croydon Central (Gavin Barwell).

BAE Systems: Saudi Arabia

Denis MacShane: To ask the Prime Minister 
	(1)  whether he discussed the potential sale of BAE Systems Tactica armoured vehicles with government representatives during his recent visit to Egypt and the Gulf region;
	(2)  whether he requested documentation from BAE Systems on the export of Tactica armoured vehicles to Saudi Arabia prior to his recent visit to the Gulf region;
	(3)  what discussions he had with representatives of BAE Systems on the export of Tactica armoured vehicles to Saudi Arabia (a) prior to and (b) during his recent visit to the Gulf region.

David Cameron: I had no such discussions or documentation. This Government takes their arms export responsibilities extremely seriously and operates some of the most rigorous export controls in the world. In response to recent developments in the middle east, the Government have been reviewing extant licences and new applications for countries in the affected regions.

ENVIRONMENT FOOD AND RURAL AFFAIRS

Animal Welfare: Circuses

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs pursuant to the answer of 17 February 2011, Official Report, columns 923-24W, on animal welfare: circuses, which representatives of welfare groups and the circus industry have had discussions with Lord Henley; and which industry body has proposed a self-regulatory system for the use of wild animals in circuses.

James Paice: holding answer 4 May 2011
	Lord Henley held separate meetings with representatives from animal welfare and circus industry organisations on 22 July 2010. The animal welfare organisations were represented by Animal Defenders International, Captive Animal Protection Society, Royal Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals, and Born Free. The circus industry organisations were represented by the Association of Circus Proprietors, Classical Circus Association, European Circus Association, Performing Animal Welfare Standards International, Circus Mondeo and Bobby Roberts' Circus.
	At Lord Henley's meeting with circus industry organisations, it was agreed that they would provide ideas on how a regulatory system could work. A proposal was subsequently received by Performing Animal Welfare Standards International.

Animal Welfare: Circuses

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what recent media briefings her Department has given on the issue of wild animals in circuses; and if she will make a statement.

James Paice: holding answer 3 May 2011
	While we have given no recent formal media briefings on the subject of wild animals in circuses, we have answered a number of questions from individual journalists on this issue.
	I am pleased to say that the Government's policy review is close to completion and that a policy announcement will be made as soon as possible.

Beekeeping: Kent

Michael Fallon: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many registered beekeepers there are in Kent; and what the equivalent figure was in 2000.

James Paice: Although there is no formal requirement for beekeepers to register, the National Bee Unit manages a voluntary register in GB through an internet service known as “BeeBase”. There are currently 862 beekeepers from the Kent area voluntarily registered on BeeBase. Equivalent figures are not available for 2000.

Biofuels

Neil Parish: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs if she will review the exemption from a requirement to hold an Environment Agency permit for biodiesel producers who manufacture less than 5,000 litres per year.

James Paice: A new exemption from the need for an environmental permit for the physical treatment of waste edible oil and fat to produce biodiesel came into force on 6 April 2010.
	Following further consultation, it is proposed to extend the scope of the new exemption to also allow for the small-scale chemical treatment of up to 250 litres in addition to the 5,000 litre limit for physical treatment. This will be introduced at the next suitable opportunity to amend the Environmental Permitting Regulations 2010.

Dogs

Jim Fitzpatrick: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what information she holds on the number of dogs humanely destroyed by local authorities because they could not be returned to their owners in the latest period for which figures are available.

James Paice: This information is not held centrally but by each local authority.

Food: Inflation

William Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps she proposes to take with her G20 counterparts to (a) address global food price inflation and (b) encourage greater food security.

James Paice: The UK Government are committed to promoting the better functioning of agricultural markets, which will help to mitigate future price spikes. We are working with France during their G20 Presidency to improve the transparency and availability of global agricultural market data (particularly with regard to global stock levels) and tackle export restrictions.
	Global food security is a long-term challenge. Domestic production in developed economies has a role to play. It is a priority in our departmental business plan to support and develop farming to build capacity for sustainable production both in the UK and globally, which will help our food supply be resilient to shocks and crises.
	International trade also has an important role in providing food security. We are a trading nation in a global market and the UK is a significant exporter of wheat, lamb, dairy products and breakfast cereals. Our own food security depends on access to the world market; and our domestic food industry needs to be able to compete on the world stage.

Forestry Commission: Manpower

Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how many employees of the Forestry Commission were (a) full-time and (b) part time (i) in each of the last four years and (ii) as at the end of March 2011.

James Paice: The Forestry Commission is a non-ministerial department for England, Scotland and Wales. The following table shows the number of Forestry Commission employees in full and part-time positions.
	
		
			 As at 31 March: Full-time Part-time Total 
			 2007 2,847 475 3,322 
			 2008 2,796 502 3,298 
			 2009 2,822 524 3,346 
			 2010 2,901 578 3,479 
			 2011 2,695 537 3,232

Tortoises: Shipping

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs what steps her Department is taking to end the practice of shipping to customers by mail services tortoises which have been purchased over the internet.

James Paice: The dispatch of the majority of live animals by post is prohibited by both animal welfare legislation and post operator guidelines.
	Under the Animal Welfare Act 2006 it is an offence to cause any unnecessary suffering to an animal that is under the control of man or for an owner or keeper to fail to provide for an animal’s welfare needs. Ultimately it would be for a court to decide, but it is realistic to assume that sending a tortoise through the post without taking appropriate care to secure the health and welfare of the animal, would be an offence under the 2006 Act. The maximum penalty under the 2006 Act for causing unnecessary suffering is a fine of £20,000, or six months imprisonment, or both.
	Royal Mail and Parcelforce do not carry live animals. Many courier companies that do their own hand deliveries also operate a total ban on the transport of live animals. Any postal operator or courier that does transport live animals needs to comply with EU welfare during transport legislation (Council Regulation (EC) No. 1/2005). The regulation is implemented in England by the Welfare of Animals (Transport) (England) Order 2006 (WATEO) and by parallel legislation in Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland.
	It is an offence under this legislation to transport animals or cause animals to be transported in a way likely to cause, injury or unnecessary suffering to that animal. Animals must be transported in a receptacle or means of transport that has appropriate space, ventilation, temperature, security, liquid and oxygen for the species concerned. Primary responsibility for enforcement of welfare during transport legislation rests with local authorities. Transporters found to be in breach of Regulation 1/2005 or WATEO could be subject to enforcement action.
	All tortoises are covered by the convention on international trade in endangered species (CITES) and as such commercial trade would generally be subject to a strict licensing system except where that trade is within the EU.
	Local Government Regulation (formerly LACORS) produced an overview in 2008 of the rules relating to the dispatch of living creatures by post. This can be seen at:
	http://www.lacors.gov.uk/lacors/NewsArticleDetails.aspx?id=20510

Wheels to Work Scheme

Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much funding was allocated to Wheels to Work projects via the Rural Development Programme for England in each of the last four years.

James Paice: holding answer 4 May 2011
	The following funding was allocated from the Rural Development Programme for England for Wheels to Work projects:
	
		
			  Amount (£) 
			 2007-08 0 
			 2008-09 0 
			 2009-10 99,788 
			 2010-11 138,462 
		
	
	The following funding was allocated from the Rural Development Programme for England for a similar transport to work project:
	
		
			  £ 
			 2010-11 31,050

Wheels to Work Scheme

Mary Creagh: To ask the Secretary of State for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs how much funding has been allocated to Wheels to Work projects via the Rural Development Programme for England in 2011-12.

James Paice: holding answer 4 May 2011
	£15,000 has been budgeted from the Rural Development Programme for England for a Wheels to Work project in 2011-12. A further £10,000 has been budgeted from the Rural Development Programme for England for a similar transport to work project in 2011-12.

CULTURE MEDIA AND SPORT

Arts Council England: Bexley

David Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport how much Arts Council England allocated to the London borough of Bexley in each of the last 10 years.

Edward Vaizey: The amount allocated by Arts Council England to the London borough of Bexley in the last 10 years, through the Grants for the Arts programme, is set out in the table:
	
		
			  £000 
			 2006-07 165,397 
			 2008-09 90,406 
			 2009-10 289,243 
		
	
	There have been no organisations in the London borough of Bexley within the last 10 years that have received regular funding from Arts Council England.

Broadband

Ian Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what representations he has received on the pricing by BT of use of ducts and poles to deploy superfast broadband.

Edward Vaizey: holding answer 28 April 2011
	Several communications providers have written to the Department for Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) Ministers making representations about the pricing of British Telecom's ducts and poles. Openreach has made reference offers for the pricing of ducts and poles in January 2011 and these offers are currently the subject of consultation with the industry. Subject to the outcome of that consultation, the Office of Communications (Ofcom) has powers to make a determination of what the prices should be.

Broadband: Enterprise Zones

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport pursuant to the answer of 26 April 2011, Official Report, column 34W, on broadband: enterprise zones, from which budgets public funding for broadband in local enterprise partnerships will be allocated where it is considered necessary.

Edward Vaizey: Should a decision be made that public funding is necessary to support broadband provision in a particular enterprise zone, the appropriate budget or budgets for such public funding will be decided also. At present no such determination of need has been made.

Broadcasting: Welsh Language

Jonathan Edwards: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport when he plans to publish the minutes of discussions between his Department, the BBC and S4C on the future of Welsh language broadcasting.

Edward Vaizey: The Department for Culture, Media and Sport will publish a summary of the minutes after the negotiations with the BBC and S4C have been concluded.

Departmental Buildings

Luciana Berger: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what the (a) name and (b) address is of each building owned by his Department; and what the estimated monetary value is of each such building.

John Penrose: As set out in the Department's Resource Accounts (Note 15.4 Page 66/67) the Department does not own any buildings; they are all leased. The properties held in the name of the Secretary of State are owned by the Crown.

Departmental Visits

Ivan Lewis: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport how many (a) state and (b) independent fee-paying schools each Minister of his Department has visited since their appointment.

Jeremy Hunt: Since being appointed, I have visited two state schools, the Minister for Sport and the Olympics, the hon. Member for Faversham and Mid Kent (Hugh Robertson), has visited four state schools, and the Minister for Culture, Communications and Creative Industries, the hon. Member for Wantage (Mr Vaizey), has visited one state school. No independent fee-paying schools have been visited.

Morecambe Winter Gardens

David Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what grants his Department has allocated for the regeneration of Morecambe Winter Gardens in the last three years.

Edward Vaizey: This Department has not allocated any grants through its arm’s length bodies to the regeneration of Morecambe Winter Gardens in the last three years.

National Lottery: Greater London

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport what proportion of arts funding raised through the lottery was allocated to projects in (a) the regions and (b) London in the last year for which figures are available; and if he will make a statement.

Edward Vaizey: Arts Council England has supplied in the table the lottery funding allocated to arts projects through the Grants for the arts, Capital, Transform, Thrive and Unlimited schemes in (a) the regions and (b) London in 2010-11:
	
		
			 Area Awards (£) 
			 Regions 47,239,312 
			 London 31,239,312 
		
	
	A further £10.2 million was invested in national programmes in 2010-11.

Olympic Games 2012: Pembrokeshire

Simon Hart: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport if he will take steps to encourage the engagement of young people from Pembrokeshire and Carmarthenshire in the London 2012 Olympics.

Hugh Robertson: It is important that children and young people from across the UK are actively encouraged to participate in the wide range of opportunities created by the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.
	Over 17,000 schools and colleges across the UK have registered for the London Organising Committee of the Olympic and Paralympic Games' (LOCOG) education programme Get Set.
	It is hoped that the majority of primary and secondary schools will be signed up to Get Set over the next few months, and use its resources to ensure London 2012 is championed in and around our schools. Currently 27 schools in Carmarthen are registered with Get Set and 22 schools in Pembrokeshire have also registered. ‘Young Ambassadors’ is a London 2012 programme managed by Youth Sport Trust with the London 2012 Inspire mark for education. It involves young people being recruited to be ambassadors, working in their schools and communities to champion sport and the values of the Olympic and Paralympic Games. There are ambassadors for Carmarthenshire who act as role models and use the power of London 2012 to inspire other young people to choose sport.
	Pupils from Ysgol Tre-gib, Carmarthenshire, (supported by Cold YA Emyr Jones) entered a competition on Get Set to design their ideal break time activity. They were selected to represent Wales at the UK final in June 2011. Schools in Glanymor and Amman Valley, Carmarthenshire, are working on the ‘International Inspiration’ project.
	A Sport Pembrokeshire and Pembrokeshire Leisure working group have created an agreed ‘Olympic Legacy’ action plan which outlines several projects which will aim to inspire young people to participate in sport. One of the projects which received £1.67 million of part funding from the Legacy Trust is The Power of the Flame, designed to use the 2012 games as a catalyst to inspire young people to achieve their very best in their chosen field. It embraces Wales's unique heritage sites, the history of sportsmen and women, disabled young artists, and Eisteddfodic traditions.
	Two Cauldrons and Furnaces events taking place in Pembrokeshire and Carmarthenshire during 2012 will involve 1,870 young people; and the Laugharne project which will involve 870 primary and secondary school children.
	In addition, I launched the ‘Places People Play’ programme, which will bring sporting legacy to life in communities across the country. This will be achieved by transforming the places where people play sport, inspiring all to make sport happen at a local level and creating sporting opportunities that give everyone the chance to become part of the mass participation legacy. Further detail can be found at the following link:
	http://www.culture.gov.uk/news/news_stories/7565.aspx

Radio Frequencies

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport whether any simulation of White Space device deployment is being undertaken by Ofcom; and if he will make a statement.

Edward Vaizey: No specific simulation of white space device deployment has been undertaken. However, Ofcom undertakes technical studies to understand the impacts of interference on services in a number of frequency bands, including those in which whitespace devices are expected to operate. Ofcom remains open to conducting further studies, should they be required.

Radio Frequencies

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Culture, Olympics, Media and Sport 
	(1)  with which companies Ofcom had discussions when formulating parameters to prevent spectrum interference to licensed users from white space devices; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  whether Ofcom has worked with industry to formulate the working parameters for white space devices.

Edward Vaizey: Ofcom has undertaken a number of public consultations on whitespace devices and related subjects, in which industry partners have participated. The consultations can be found using the links:
	http://stakeholders.ofcom.org.uk/consultations/geolocation/
	http://stakeholders.ofcom.org.uk/consultations/cognitive/
	http://stakeholders.ofcom.org.uk/consultations/cogaccess/

SCOTLAND

Construction

Ann McKechin: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland on what date he last met representatives of businesses in the construction industry in Scotland to discuss trends in that sector.

Michael Moore: I attended a CBI Scotland dinner on 17 February where I met with key stakeholders in the construction industry and other sectors.
	In March 2011, the Government issued a Plan for Growth to put the United Kingdom on a path to sustainable long-term economic growth and which set out a number of specific measures to benefit the construction sector. 1 plan to have further meetings with the construction industry to discuss this and other issues affecting the sector.

Economy

Ann McKechin: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what discussions he has had with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on the contraction of the Scottish economy during the fourth quarter of 2010.

Michael Moore: I have regular discussions with Treasury Ministers, including the Chancellor of the Exchequer, on a wide range of economy-related topics. The contraction of the Scottish economy is obviously disappointing, but the Office for National Statistics has made it very clear that the terrible weather in December was the key factor. The Government have always said the recovery will be choppy, but we are committed to be the most pro-growth Government and our Plan for Growth will help us to achieve more sustainable and balanced growth for all parts of the country.

Employment Schemes

Ann McKechin: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what assessment he has made of the number of contracts in relation to the Work Programme awarded in Scotland; and if he will make a statement.

Michael Moore: In total, 40 contracts were awarded to deliver the Work Programme in contract package areas (CPAs) across Great Britain. Two contracts were awarded to the CPA which covers Scotland. The preferred bidders for both these contracts are in ongoing discussions with potential partners to be included in their supply chains, including public sector, voluntary sector and private sector providers.

Employment Schemes

Ann McKechin: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what assessment he has made on the likely effect on the WISE group of its loss of the contract for the delivery of services under the Work Programme in Scotland.

Michael Moore: The selection of Work Programme prime providers was conducted in a fair and open competition, which attracted 177 bids from 30 organisations. Seven bids were received for the two contracts covering Scotland. Although there is disappointment that the Wise Group did not win a contract, the Government recognise the contribution the Wise Group can make and has highlighted this to the preferred bidders for Scotland. As a framework provider, we expect the Wise Group to be in a good position to take advantage of any further commercial opportunities that arise.

Homelessness

Ann McKechin: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland on what dates he discussed with Ministers in the Department for Work and Pensions concerns raised by charities based in Scotland of the effect on the level of homelessness of changes to housing benefit.

Michael Moore: I am in regular contact with Ministers in the Department for Work and Pensions on a range of issues concerning welfare and benefits reform, including changes to housing benefit.

Offshore Industry

Ann McKechin: To ask the Secretary of State for Scotland what assessment he has made of the likely effect on the oil and gas industry in Scotland of the announcement in the 2011 Budget of an increase in the supplementary charge on oil and gas.

Michael Moore: The oil and gas sector has benefited from significantly higher prices than anticipated by the industry. Pre-tax profits in 2011 are forecast to be £24 billion, and up 50% in two years, so it is fair that companies make an extra contribution at this time. The tax will fall in a staged and affordable way if the oil price falls below a pre-set trigger price on a sustained basis. We will continue to discuss measures with the industry, including field allowances to encourage ongoing investment in more marginal fields. Overall, we do not expect this change to have a significant impact on investment or production in the coming years. Average post-tax profits per barrel will be higher in the next five years than the last five.

TRANSPORT

Cycling

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what plans he has for the future of the Cycle Town scheme (a) nationally and (b) in Colchester constituency.

Norman Baker: Cycling England's Cycle City and Towns programme came to an end on 31 March 2011.
	All English transport authorities are able to apply for funds for sustainable transport schemes which create economic growth and cut carbon, including cycling projects, from the Local Sustainable Transport Fund. A large number of bids for tranche 1 contain a cycling element.
	It is for Essex county council to determine its own plans for Colchester.

Cycling: Motor Vehicles

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what his estimate is of the proportion of cyclists that own cars.

Norman Baker: 83% of the cyclists participating in the National Travel Survey in 2008 and 2009 were resident in a household with access to a car or van.
	The equivalent overall figure for all survey respondents in Great Britain was 82%.

Departmental Early Retirement

David Crausby: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many of his Department's staff have taken early retirement in each of the last five years; and at what cost to his Department in each such year.

Norman Baker: Employees can retire or be retired early in the circumstances prescribed by the Civil Service Management Code. There is only a cost to the Department where an enhanced early retirement package is provided under the Civil Service Compensation Scheme.
	The Department for Transport was formed in 2002 and is made up of a central Department and seven executive agencies.
	The following table shows how many Department for Transport employees have taken early retirement in each of the last five years, as well as the cost for each year. It does not quantify ongoing savings which will result from changes to staffing levels.
	
		
			  FER  (1)  /CER  (2) AER  (3) 
			  Number Cost (£) Number Cost (£) 
			 2006-07(4) 51 1,670,000 0 0 
			 2007-08 125 14,280,000 0 0 
			 2008-09 92 8,280,000 0 0 
			 2009-10 157 13,640,000 0 0 
			 2010-11 27 1,850,000 134 11,970,000 
			 (1) FER =Flexible Early Retirement (2) CER = Compulsory Early Retirement (3 )AER = Approved Early Retirement (4) DfT(C) ran a voluntary early retirement scheme but detailed information is not readily available.

Departmental Manpower

Maria Eagle: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what estimate he has made of the costs of implementing staff reductions in (a) his Department and (b) each of its non-departmental public bodies for which he is responsible in (i) 2010-11, (ii) 2011-12, (iii) 2012-13, (iv) 2013-14 and (v) 2014-15.

Norman Baker: By 2014-15, we expect to deliver a cumulative cost saving of around £270 million in real terms.
	The current initial estimates for the costs of implementing staff reductions through exit and severance schemes in the Department for Transport are as follows:
	£20.5 million in 2010-11 (of which £12.5 million is for the central Department)
	£15.5 million in 2011-12 (of which £12.5 million is for the central Department)
	The central Department also estimates it will spend £0.6 million in 2010-11 and £0.3 million in 2011-12 on the direct administrative costs of the Change Programme running in DfTc.
	There are currently no estimates for costs from 2012-13 onwards.
	Estimates for the costs (in £000) of implementing staff reductions in the Department's non-departmental public bodies are as follows:
	
		
			  2010-11 2011-12 2012-13 2013-14 2014-15 
			 Renewable Fuels Agency No current estimate 
			 British Transport Police Authority No current estimate 
			 Disabled Persons Transport Advisory Committee DPTAC has no direct employees 
			 Directly Operated Railways Ltd. No cost 
			 High Speed 2 No cost 
			 Northern Lighthouse Board 5 83 5 5 5 
			 Railway Heritage Committee The Railway Heritage Committee has no direct employees 
			 Traffic Commissioners and Deputy Traffic Commissioners No current estimate 
			 Trinity House Lighthouse Service 500 600 500 500 500 
			 Passenger Focus Costs will be determined once reform plans have been agreed 
			 Cycling England Cycling England has no direct employees 
			 Note: All costs are estimates.

Departmental Public Bodies

Fiona Mactaggart: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport pursuant to the answer of 24 March 2011, Official Report, columns 1218-9W, on departmental public appointments, for what reason the answer referred to a document that cannot be accessed from the website address given; and how many (a) women and (b) men no longer serve on public bodies sponsored by his Department because of decisions to close, merge or reorganise such bodies taken since his appointment.

Norman Baker: Our response dated 15 March 2011 provided a link to Public Bodies 2009 which is the latest confirmed information in relation to public appointees. Further to this the following public bodies sponsored by the Secretary of State for Transport are subject to closure, merge or reorganisation and details are:
	
		
			 Organisation Date closed Women no longer serving Men no longer serving 
			 Commission for Integrated Transport 30 September 2010 16 5 
			 Cycling England 31 March 2011 7 2 
			 Office of the Renewable Fuels Agency 1 April 2011 4 0

Power Line Technology Devices: Complaints

Mark Lancaster: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many complaints his Department has received in respect of the use of power line technology devices in the last 12 months; and from where such complaints originated.

Theresa Villiers: The Department for Transport has received no complaints in respect of the use of power line technology devices in the last 12 months.

Rescue Services: Yorkshire and the Humber

Andrew Percy: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport how many calls Humber coastguard station received during hours of (a) daylight and (b) darkness in each month of 2010.

Michael Penning: holding answer 26 April 2011
	It is not possible to provide data in respect of emergency 999 calls and radio calls in the format requested as the data cannot be easily related to the times of sunrise and sunset by season. However, the Maritime and Coastguard Agency can confirm that the number of events (all entries in command and control system, excluding training, exercises and faults) Humber Maritime Rescue Co-ordination Centre received during 2010 is as follows:
	
		
			 Humber  2010 
			 Events between: Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Total 
			 09:00 to 19:00 121 82 93 127 134 173 211 240 117 110 98 78 1,584 
			 19:00 to 09:00 57 53 55 69 71 110 119 120 80 60 57 58 909 
			 Total 178 135 148 196 205 283 330 360 197 170 155 136 2,493 
		
	
	HM Coastguard does not envisage its proposals to modernise as outlined in the consultation document will increase response times.

Rolling Stock

Alistair Darling: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what the average age of the train fleet was in each railway franchise in (a) 1996, (b) 2001, (c) 2007 and (d) 2010.

Theresa Villiers: Data showing the average age of the train fleet are publicly available on the Office of Rail Regulation’s National Rail Trends webpage, which can be accessed via the following link:
	http://www.rail-reg.gov.uk/server/show/nav.1863
	The average age of rolling stock has only been disaggregated between different train operating companies since 2010.
	Before 2010, this information was split only by sector (Regional/Long distance/London and South East).

Transport: Carbon Emissions

William Bain: To ask the Secretary of State for Transport what support his Department plans to provide to local authorities for the development of low-carbon based transport systems in the form of (a) bus transport powered by electricity and (b) trams in each of the next four financial years.

Norman Baker: The Department has no plans to provide support to local authorities for the development of low-carbon based transport systems in the specific form of bus transport powered by electricity. However, the Department has paid £46.8 million to local authorities and bus operators to assist them in purchasing 526 hybrid-electric and 16 all-electric buses through the Green Bus Fund. More details are available on the DFT website at:
	http://www.dft.gov.uk/pgr/regional/buses/greenbusfund/greenbusfundbusdetails/
	On trams, since May 2010, we have supported a number of proposed extensions to existing light rail systems in operation. This includes confirming funding, with a Government contribution of over £120 million, for the Manchester metro link extensions to Ashton and East Didsbury which are currently under construction and expected to be in operation in 2013.
	We announced on 4 February 2011 our intention to support the extension to Midland Metro Line One to Birmingham New Street station, with a Department for Transport contribution of £75.4 million towards the total scheme costs and in March 2011, we announced our continued support for the Nottingham Express Transit Phase 2 light rail PFI project. It is now for the promoters of these schemes to complete the procurement process and submit a final business case to the Department for final funding approval.
	I have also initiated a study of light rail to see whether there are ways of making this mode of transport more cost-effective for the future. I am due to receive this study shortly.

HOUSE OF COMMONS COMMISSION

Catering

Mark Spencer: To ask the hon. Member for Caithness, Sutherland and Easter Ross, representing the House of Commons Commission, what the policy of the House of Commons Service is on the provision of country of origin information on menus in its restaurants and cafeterias.

John Thurso: The House of Commons Catering Service has no policy to provide country of origin information on menus in its restaurants and cafeterias. However, where the main food ingredient is specifically sourced from a particular region or farm, the source may be named in the menu dish description.

INDEPENDENT PARLIAMENTARY STANDARDS AUTHORITY COMMITTEE

Security Certificate

Priti Patel: To ask the hon. Member for Broxbourne, representing the Speaker's Committee for the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority, 
	(1)  for what reason the security certificate for the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority website has expired;
	(2)  on what date the security certificate for the Independent Parliamentary Standards Authority website expired; when the security certificate will be renewed; what assessment has been made of any risks resulting from the expiration of the security certificate; and who was responsible for permitting the security certificate to expire.

Charles Walker: It has not been possible to provide a response to these questions by the named day. An answer will be provided as soon as possible.

WALES

Departmental Legal Costs

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales how much her Department and its predecessor paid in (a) damages, (b) claimant costs and (c) defendant costs in respect of all civil claims brought against her Department in which the claimant was successful or the Department settled in each of the last three years.

David Jones: The Wales Office had one civil claim in 2009-10. Although the tribunal found in favour of the Wales Office they ordered a payment due pursuant to contract in the sum of £2,957. The Wales Office legal costs were £48,104.

Departmental Pensions

Steven Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what proportion of her Department's budget she expects to be spent on staff pensions in each of the next five years.

David Jones: The Wales Office is not an employer in its own right; its staff are supplied by the Welsh Assembly Government and the Ministry of Justice who retain the pension liabilities for their staff.

Departmental Vacancies

Mike Freer: To ask the Secretary of State for Wales what the staff vacancy rate was for her Department in 2010-11; and what vacancy rate has been assumed in her Department's budget for 2011-12.

David Jones: There has been an average vacancy rate of 8% in the 2010-11 period. We do not assume an annual vacancy rate in the departmental budget.

ATTORNEY-GENERAL

Civil Proceedings: Legal Costs

Stephen Williams: To ask the Attorney-General how many times the Official Solicitor has been appointed to act as litigation friend of last resort for a person who lacks litigation capacity, in appeals against their detention, authorised under the deprivation of liberty safeguards, brought under section 21A of the Mental Capacity Act 2005; in how many of all section 21A appeals the Official Solicitor has acted in the deprivation of liberty authorisation was terminated by the court; how many of those section 21A appeals in which the Official Solicitor was appointed to act were brought by the detainee themselves; and how many section 21A appeals in which the Official Solicitor was appointed to act were initially brought by the detainee themselves, but were discontinued by the Official Solicitor on the basis that there was little prospect of success.

Jonathan Djanogly: I have been asked to reply.
	The information requested is not held by the Ministry of Justice and is not readily available. The cost of collating it would be disproportionate, as such an exercise would require the Official Solicitor to recover from secure storage all files relating to applications to the Court of Protection (other than those relating solely to Property and Affairs) and to then trawl through them for the relevant information to be obtained.

Lindis Percy: Public Finance

Fabian Hamilton: To ask the Attorney-General what the total cost to the public purse was of the case brought by the Crown against Lindis Percy.

Edward Garnier: It is estimated that the prosecution’s costs in this case will be in the region of £945. This figure relates to counsel advocacy costs and does not include staff or running costs, which are attributable to the operation of the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) as a whole and cannot be assessed on an individual case basis. The costs to the court and the defence are not collated by the CPS.

BUSINESS, INNOVATION AND SKILLS

Deregulation

Fiona Mactaggart: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills 
	(1)  what discussions he had with ministerial colleagues before including primary legislation on the Red Tape Challenge website;
	(2)  what definition of red tape he used to determine which regulations and legislation should be identified for potential repeal on the Red Tape Challenge website.

Mark Prisk: I refer the hon. Member for Slough to the answer I gave to the hon. Member for Brighton, Pavilion (Caroline Lucas) on 5 May 2011, Official Report, columns 885-6W.

Exports: Higher Education

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what estimate he has made of the value of UK higher education exports including (a) tuition fees, (b) other spending by overseas higher education students in the UK, (c) transnational education and (d) other higher education exports in each of the last five years; and if he will make a statement.

David Willetts: The Department has recently received a draft report commissioned from London Economics on the value of education exports which will be published in due course. The Department has not made estimates previously, but according to Universities UK gross export earnings for the higher education sector in 2007/08 were estimated to be £5.3 billion.
	Education exports are an area where the UK has strengths and where there is opportunity for growth and the Government are determined to help institutions and organisations involved to realise these opportunities.

Higher Education: Finance

Ben Gummer: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what information his Department holds on the number of people who left higher education because their parents withheld or withdrew financial support in each of the last 10 years.

David Willetts: The Department does not hold information on the number of people who left higher education because their parents withheld or withdrew financial support in each of the last 10 years. The numbers of UK-domiciled students who were recorded as leaving their higher education course due to financial reasons in the academic years 2000/01 to 2009/10 are shown in the table as an alternative. Figures for the 2010/11 academic year will become available from January 2012.
	
		
			 UK-domiciled enrolments  (1)   who left their course having neither qualified nor transferred to another institution; and of this group, those who left due to financial reasons, UK higher education institutions—Academic years 2000/01 to 2009/10 
			 Academic year Number who left their course having neither qualified nor transferred of which: left for financial reasons 
			 2000/01 84,120 2,170 
			 2001/02 95,390 2,045 
			 2002/03 89,690 2,135 
			 2003/04 93,900 2,155 
			 2004/05 97,355 2,375 
			 2005/06 94,070 2,390 
			 2006/07 91,000 2,010 
			 2007/08 103,335 2,010 
			 2008/09 94,085 2,265 
			 2009/10 103,180 2,600 
			 (1) Covers postgraduate and undergraduate students of all ages and years of study enrolled on full-time and part-time courses.  Note:  Figures are based on a HESA standard registration population and have been rounded up or down to the nearest five.  Source:  Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) Student Record. 
		
	
	Information on a student's reason for leaving is taken from the Higher Education Statistics Agency (HESA) Student Record. This information should be treated with some caution because the “Other personal reasons and dropped out” and “Other” fields are used extensively. Institutions are not always able to record the precise reason for leaving. Furthermore, HESA allows only one reason for withdrawal to be recorded, however it is likely that many students leave for a combination of reasons.

North Sea Oil

John Denham: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills 
	(1)  on what dates (a) he and (b) Ministers in his Department have met representatives of oil and gas companies to discuss investment in North Sea oil and gas fields since his appointment;
	(2)  on what date he or other Ministers in his Department most recently met representatives of the oil and gas industry to discuss investment in North Sea oil and gas fields.

Mark Prisk: The Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, my right hon. Friend the Member for Twickenham (Vince Cable), met Shell on 2 August 2010. There have been no other meetings between oil companies and other BIS Ministers.

Private Sector: Higher Education

Gareth Thomas: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills if he will strengthen the scrutiny arrangements in respect of (a) the financial health and (b) the quality of teaching at privately for-profit providers of higher education; and if he will make a statement.

David Willetts: The future regulatory regime for all providers of higher education will be considered in the forthcoming White Paper. This will set out the Government's proposals to encourage a more diverse and competitive higher education sector alongside an appropriate regulatory regime, which ensures high standards and protects students.

Research: Finance

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills pursuant to the answer of 5 April 2011, Official Report, column 917W, on research: finance, which highest scientific priorities were identified by the research councils and were not provided with additional funding following the Budget 2011.

David Willetts: The other capital projects identified by the research councils as their highest scientific priorities were:
	ARCHER—a new national supercomputing service;
	Hartree Centre—a new international centre for computational science and engineering at the Daresbury Science and Innovation Campus;
	Institute for Animal Health—Phase 3 of the redevelopment;
	Rothera Research Station, Antarctica—upgraded facilities.
	These priorities are subject to periodic revision by Research Councils UK as new capital projects evolve and to reflect the availability of capital.

UN Human Rights Council

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what steps he plans to take to implement the guiding principles on business and human rights submitted by Professor Ruggie to the UN Human Rights Council.

Jeremy Browne: I have been asked to reply.
	The UK is a strong supporter of Professor John Ruggie and his work as the UN special representative on business and human rights and transnational corporations. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office has worked with a range of interested Government Departments in respect of Professor Ruggie’s work, which he is due to present to the Human Rights Council in Geneva in June 2011. The Department for Business, Innovation and Skills has been negotiating an update to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) Guidelines for Multinational Enterprises to include a new chapter drawing on Professor Ruggie’s guiding principles. The Ministry of Justice represents the Government in the Equality and Human Rights Commission’s business and human rights working group.

Universities

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills what recent estimate his Department has made of the potential number of universities in England that will be taken over by private institutions in the next five years.

David Willetts: The Department has not made such an estimate. Universities are private autonomous institutions and it is for their respective governing bodies to establish whether any changes of ownership would be in their long-term interest and that of their students.

JUSTICE

Alcoholic Drinks: Rehabilitation

Matthew Offord: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice if he will take steps to ensure that the rehabilitation of alcoholic offenders forms part of the Government's rehabilitation strategy.

Crispin Blunt: We agree that rehabilitation for many offenders must start by tackling their dependency on alcohol. We continue to work closely with the Department of Health to ensure that the needs of offenders who are dependent on alcohol are effectively addressed.
	To support these aims, our recent Green Paper "Breaking the Cycle" also set out proposals to increase the flexibility of treatment requirements, including alcohol treatment requirements, to ensure more offenders with alcohol problems gain access to treatment in the community. Later this year, the Government will publish a new Alcohol Strategy. Responses from the MoJ Green Paper consultation will be used to inform this.

CCTV: Evidence

Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what research his Department has (a) commissioned and (b) evaluated on the adequacy of the quality of CCTV images for use as evidence in the courts.

Crispin Blunt: None. However, the Home Office has published several reports on CCTV.

Cycling: Sentencing

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many and what proportion of cyclists involved in the (a) death and (b) serious injury of a pedestrian received a (i) custodial sentence, (ii) fine, (iii) community service order and (iv) other sentence in the last year for which figures are available.

Crispin Blunt: Data collated centrally by the Ministry of Justice do not include information about the circumstances of each case other than those which may be identified from a statute. It is therefore not possible to specifically identify from offences in which cyclists are involved in death or injury or the status of victims, pedestrian or otherwise, involved in road traffic accidents.

Departmental Pensions

Steven Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what proportion of his Department's budget he expects to be spent on staff pensions in each of the next five years.

Jonathan Djanogly: Because the Ministry does not yet know the final outcome of the proposed reforms of civil service staff pensions (following on from the Hutton review on public sector pensions), accurate forecasts about the proportion of Ministry's budget allocated to staff pensions for each of the next five years are not available.
	The proportion of Ministry's budget allocated to staff pensions is also dependent upon the staff profile of the department. Employer pension contributions (know as Accruing Superannuation Liability Charges) are based on five salary bands. Each band has a different percentage charge and they can be found on the civil service web site at:
	http://www.civilservice.gov.uk/Assets/EPN287_tcm6-37911.pdf
	As the Ministry implements organisational changes and reforms in response to the spending review announcements, the staff profile of the Department will change over the next five years. As a consequence, the future proportion of the Ministry's budget allocated to staff pensions can only be known once those changes and reforms have been implemented.

European Convention on Human Rights: Public Finance

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice what estimate his Department has made of the cost to the public purse of implementing the judgments of the European Convention on Human Rights since 1998.

Kenneth Clarke: The Ministry of Justice has not made an estimate of the cost to the public purse of implementing the judgments since 1998 of the European Court of Human Rights (ECtHR). The implementation of judgments issued by the ECtHR is the responsibility of the Government Department responsible for the policy area concerned.
	The measures taken to implement judgments, and the costs and benefits of such measures, can vary considerably depending on the circumstances of the case, and some can be included in wider changes to policy or legislation. The provision of accurate estimates of the total costs associated with the implementation of the judgments of the ECtHR since 1998 would be extremely challenging and could not be done without incurring disproportionate cost.

Government: Ministerial Visits

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  how many Ministers representing the Government of the Isle of Man have visited his Department in the last three years;
	(2)  how many Ministers representing the Government of Jersey have visited his Department in the last three years;
	(3)  how many Ministers representing the Government of Guernsey have visited his Department in the last three years.

Jonathan Djanogly: The Ministry of Justice does not keep information on the number of times Ministers from the Crown Dependencies have visited the Department. Ministry of Justice Ministers are in regular contact with representatives of the Crown Dependencies' Governments.

Legal Aid Scheme

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  what discussions he has had with the Treasury Solicitor on his Department's proposals for reform of legal aid;
	(2)  whether he has made an assessment of the effects on the work of the (a) Treasury Solicitor's Department and (b) Government Legal Service of his proposals for the reform of legal aid; and if he will make a statement.

Jonathan Djanogly: While Ministers and officials speak regularly with the Treasury Solicitor on general issues there have been no specific discussions concerning the legal aid reform proposals.
	Impact assessments were published alongside the consultation paper, which detailed the potential impacts of the reforms. However, these did not consider the impact on either the Treasury Solicitor’s Department or the Government Legal Service, and there is no intention to conduct such an assessment.

Legal Aid Scheme

David Hanson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice how many meetings on legal aid reform (a) he and (b) Ministers in his Department have had at the request of hon. Members since 6 May 2010.

Jonathan Djanogly: I can confirm that the Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice, the right hon. and learned Member for Rushcliffe (Mr Clarke) and I have, between us, held a total of 14 meetings with hon. Members, either in person or over the telephone, on the subject of legal aid reform.

Legal Aid Scheme

Jonathan Reynolds: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  what assessment he has made of the ability of prospective claimants for clinical negligence compensation to access alternative funding mechanisms such as conditional fee agreements and before the event insurance following the implementation of his proposals to reform legal aid;
	(2)  whether he has assessed the merits of retaining legal aid for clinical negligence cases for the purposes of funding investigations and disbursements on the basis that if a case is considered to have good prospects it would continue under a conditional fee agreement.

Jonathan Djanogly: The consultation “Proposals for the Reform of Legal Aid in England and Wales” closed on Monday 14 February 2011. The Government are due to publish their response later in the spring. An updated impact assessment will be published alongside the response on legal aid reform.
	On 29 March 2011 the Government published “Reforming Civil Litigation Funding and Costs in England and Wales—Implementation of Lord Justice Jackson's Recommendations: The Government Response”. This makes clear that conditional fee agreements will continue to be available for clinical negligence cases. The Government intend to have a tightly drawn power to allow recoverability of after the event (ATE) insurance premiums to cover the cost of expert reports only in clinical negligence cases. The Government will continue to engage with claimant and defendant representatives and general liability insurers to ensure that joint expert reports can be commissioned wherever possible so that ATE insurance is not necessary. An updated impact assessment was published alongside the response on civil litigation funding and costs.

Regional Resolution Groups

David Hanson: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  how many meetings (a) he and (b) Ministers in his Department have had with regional resolution groups since 6 May 2010;
	(2)  what representations he has received from regional resolution groups since 6 May 2010.

Jonathan Djanogly: The Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice, the right hon. and learned Member for Rushcliffe (Mr Clarke), has not met with the regional resolution groups since May 2010 nor have I or my ministerial colleagues. However, I did meet with a representative of the national body in July, and in August last year I met Resolution national representatives, along with other mediation organisations, at a Family Mediation Stakeholder event.
	Similarly, regional representations have not been received since May 2010 but the national body has responded to the recent consultation “Proposals for the Reform of Legal Aid in England and Wales”.

Tax Avoidance

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Justice 
	(1)  whether he has had recent discussions with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on offshore UK tax avoidance in Jersey;
	(2)  whether he has had recent discussions with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on offshore UK tax avoidance in Guernsey;
	(3)  whether he has had recent discussions with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on offshore UK tax avoidance in the Isle of Man.

Jonathan Djanogly: The Lord Chancellor and Secretary of State for Justice, the right hon. and learned Member for Rushcliffe (Mr Clarke), has had no recent discussions with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on offshore UK tax avoidance in Jersey, Guernsey and the Isle of Man.

WOMEN AND EQUALITIES

Equality Duty: Public Sector

David Lammy: To ask the Minister for Women and Equalities what discussions the Government Equalities Office has had with (a) race equality, (b) disability, (c) gender equality, (d) lesbian gay bisexual transgender, (e) older people and (f) other equalities organisations on the decision to re-draft and re-consult on the specific duties as part of the Public Sector Equality Duty under the Equality Act 2010.

Lynne Featherstone: Ministers and officials meet regularly with interested equality organisations to discuss all aspects of their work. The policy review paper, published on 17 March, sought comments from all interested parties, including equality organisations, on the proposed changes to the draft specific duties regulations.

EDUCATION

Academies

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for Education 
	(1)  whether he plans to publish the correspondence between his Department and Abraham Guest School after the issue of conversion to academy status has been resolved;
	(2)  what his Department's policy was on the publication of correspondence between his Department and maintained schools on the issue of conversion to academy status in each of the last five years.

Nick Gibb: The Department for Education does not routinely publish all correspondence between the Department and schools that are becoming academies, and has never done so. The Expression of Interest for Abraham Guest High School to become a sponsored academy is currently being worked up by the sponsor and the local authority. Once complete, it will come to Ministers for approval.
	For sponsored academy projects, the Department's practice is to publish the approved Expression of Interest document on its website. Once a funding agreement is approved it is also published on the Department's website.
	When an Expression of Interest in a sponsored academy project has been approved, Ministers write to the MP in whose constituency the academy is to be located, to inform them of this. Ministers also write in similar terms to the constituency MP once a funding agreement has been approved.

Children: Armed Forces

Iain Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will bring forward proposals to allow children of parents serving in the armed forces to be given higher priority in the allocation of school places; and if he will make a statement.

Nick Gibb: The School Admissions Code already places some requirements on admission authorities to help ensure that children of service personnel are not disadvantaged as a consequence of their mobility. As announced in the Schools White Paper, “The Importance of Teaching”, we are currently reviewing the code in order to simplify its requirements, and will be consulting on a revised code shortly. It will continue to ensure that the needs of the children of service personnel are taken into account.

Children: Day Care

Karen Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many children under five years were in child care places provided by (a) child minders, (b) private or voluntary nurseries, (c) nursery schools and (d) nursery classes in (i) 1997, (ii) 2003 and (iii) 2009-10; and what proportion of children in registered childcare settings these figures represent in each local authority area.

Nick Gibb: This information is not available in the form requested. The relevant data are not available for 1997. Data for 2010 have not yet been published.
	Table 1 shows information at a national level on all children attending full day care settings, child minders, nursery schools and primary schools with nursery and reception classes in 2003 and 2009. Table 2 shows regional information on the number of children aged under five years attending private or voluntary full day care settings, nursery schools and primary schools with reception and nursery classes in 2009. Table 3 shows the regional information on the number of children of any age attending child minders in 2009.
	The information presented has been taken from the Childcare and Early Years Providers Survey. The Childcare and Early Years Providers Survey is a survey series which began in 1998 and collects information on the number of children attending various types of formal childcare in England. These data are not available at local authority level. Data on the number of children under five attending child minders by region are also unavailable and are therefore not presented in table 2. Care is taken to avoid double counting in individual providers but as individual children can attend more than one setting some double counting is unavoidable.
	
		
			 Table 1: Number of children attending child care and early years provision 
			  Number of children 
			  2003 2009 
			 Full day care(1) 649,400 873,900 
			 Child minders(2) n/a 276,600 
			 Nursery schools(3) 35,800 39,800 
			 Primary schools with nursery and reception classes(4) 475,400 494,200 
			 Base: Child care providers 2009, 2003. Early years provision in maintained schools 2009, 2003. (1)Full day care: defined as “facilities that provide day care for children under eight for a continuous period of four hours or more in a day in premises which are not domestic premises.” These figures include full day care setting under all types of ownership. The 2009 survey found that 88% of full day care settings were privately or voluntarily owned, of the remainder, 4% were managed by a local authority, 6% by a school/college, and 2% indicated an ‘other’ type of ownership. (2) “A childminder is registered to look after one or more children under the age of eight to whom they are not related on domestic premises for reward and for a total of more than two hours in any day.” These data are unavailable for 2003. (3) Nursery schools: these “”provide education for children under the age of five and over the age of two”. Maintained nursery schools generally accept children in term time. (4) Primary schools with nursery and reception classes: some primary schools offer both nursery and reception classes, these operate throughout the school year. These figures will include children in reception classes as well as those in nursery classes. 
		
	
	
		
			 Table 2: Children aged under five years attending various types of child care settings by region (2009) 
			  Setting type 
			 Region Private or voluntary full day care settings Nursery schools Primary schools with nursery and reception classes  (1) 
			 East Midlands 53,100 1,900 25,300 
			 East of England 78,800 4,300 28,600 
			 London 79,700 6,600 85,200 
			 North East 18,400 3,100 29,900 
			 Yorkshire and Humberside 76,600 2,700 46,400 
			 North West 104,400 6,300 59,800 
		
	
	
		
			 South East 148,700 4,100 27,500 
			 South West 83,000 3,200 9,500 
			 West Midlands 82,900 5,100 51,600 
			 Total 725,600 37,300 363,800 
			 1 Again, these figures will include children in reception classes as well as those in nursery classes. 
		
	
	
		
			 Table 3: Children of any age attending child minders by region (2009) 
			 Region Childminders 
			 East Midlands 27,700 
			 East of England 34,800 
			 London 33,600 
			 North East 44,400 
			 Yorkshire and Humberside 30,100 
			 North West 55,500 
			 South East 27,700 
			 South West 22,800 
			 West Midlands 27,6600 
			 Total

Discretionary Learner Support Fund

Nicholas Dakin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education whether discretionary learner support funding for 16 to 19 education is to be means tested.

Nick Gibb: Under the proposed arrangements for the 16-19 Bursary Fund, schools, further education colleges, sixth form colleges and training organisations will be able to exercise their discretion to award 16-19 Bursaries to young people in ways that best fit local needs and circumstances. The Department will not set any expectation that awards under the new scheme should formally be means tested.
	We are consulting on the details of the new arrangements and will work with the Association of Colleges and Sixth Form Colleges Forum and others to consider how schools, colleges and training organisations can identify those students who would benefit from support under the proposed arrangements.

Education: Assessments

Valerie Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Education whether his Department issues guidance to (a) examination boards and (b) schools on the circumstances in which children may be granted additional time to complete public examinations.

Nick Gibb: The Department for Education does not issue guidance. Guidance on granting of additional time is provided by the Joint Council for Qualifications which is independent of Government and represents the seven largest providers of qualifications in the UK.
	The guidance “Access Arrangements, Reasonable Adjustments and Special Consideration 2010-11” can be viewed at
	http://www.jcq.org.uk/attachments/published/538/22.%20AARASC%201011.pdf

Extra-curricular Activities

Ian Austin: To ask the Secretary of State for Education 
	(1)  what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the Playing For Success partnerships in increasing attendance at school by participants;
	(2)  what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the Playing For Success partnerships in increasing academic achievement;
	(3)  from which Playing For Success schemes his Department has withdrawn funding;
	(4)  what assessment he has made of the effectiveness of the Playing For Success partnerships in reducing offending by participants;
	(5)  what estimate has been made of the level of savings which will accrue from the withdrawal of funding from the Playing For Success programme;
	(6)  how many Playing For Success study centres (a) he and (b) each other Minister in his Department has visited since May 2010.

Nick Gibb: holding answer 26 April 2011
	The contract for the operational management and delivery of the Playing for Success (PfS) programme ran for a three-year period beginning in April 2008. It expired at the end of March 2011. Central funding to support Playing for Success study centres in England, therefore, came to an end at the same time.
	The level of funding made available to support Playing for Success in each of the three years of the last spending review period was approximately £14.5 million, including the contract and support to individual centres.
	Four independent national evaluations were carried out over the course of the Playing for Success programme, all of which focused on the impact on academic achievement. There has been no assessment of the effectiveness of the programme in increasing attendance at school or in reducing offending by participants. The evaluations have all found improvements in literacy and numeracy levels, information and communication technology (ICT) skills, attitudes to learning, and self-esteem. The evaluation in May 2007 looked at the long-term impact of PfS in terms of pupils' performance in national curriculum assessments (NCAs) and found a more mixed picture. While there appeared to be a positive impact on under-achieving pupils, which was the programme's target group, it concluded that PfS is not an inoculation against underperformance, and continued progress should be a shared responsibility.
	In the programme's final year of central funding, the Department supported the contractors Rex Hall Associates to work with a selected number of study centres to gather more information about the impact of the programme on pupil engagement, motivation, achievement, and progress, as well as seeking the views of parents, teachers, and PfS centre managers. The information that was gathered from this exercise was used to support schools, local authorities, and clubs in deciding how they might continue to develop and sustain the programme into the future.
	Ministers have not visited any Playing for Success study centres since May 2010. Rex Hall Associates have maintained responsibility for working with centres, and undertaking regular meetings and visits to advise and support them as central funding has come to an end.

Free School Meals

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what estimate has been made of the average number of pupils who will attend a school which has been approved as a free school.

Nick Gibb: It is not possible at this point to provide an estimate of the average number of pupils who will attend a free school because parents are still in the process of applying for places.

Further Education: Finance

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what estimate he has made of the likely (a) number of students and (b) average size of financial reward that will be allocated through discretionary education funds for 16 to 19 education; and if he will make it his policy to ensure that such figures are published at regular intervals in future.

Nick Gibb: We have estimated that around 12,000 young people may be eligible each year for a guaranteed annual bursary of £1,200. Beyond this, the 16-19 Bursary fund is discretionary and decisions as to who will be supported and to what level will be made by schools, colleges and training organisations.
	Currently schools, colleges and training organisations with an allocation of discretionary learner support funds are required to provide management information to the Young People's Learning Agency. We expect that this arrangement will continue for the 16-19 Bursary funding, allowing us to monitor its introduction. In addition we are considering how best to evaluate the impact of the new arrangements.

Further Education: Finance

Ian Mearns: To ask the Secretary of State for Education how many 16 to 19-year-olds he estimates will receive support through the 16 to 19 Bursary Fund in (a) Gateshead constituency and (b) the North East in the first year of its operation.

Nick Gibb: We estimate that there are around 12,000 young people currently in receipt of education maintenance allowance (EMA) in England who are in one of the groups that will, under the 16-19 Bursary scheme, receive a bursary of £1,200 a year. It is not possible to break this data down by constituency, local authority or region.
	All students in full-time education or training will be eligible to apply for support from the 16-19 Bursary Fund. Decisions as to which students should receive support will be made locally by schools, colleges and training providers.

Further Education: Free School Meals

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what steps his Department plans to take to link entitlement to free school meals to discretionary learner support funding for 16 to 19 education; and if he will make a statement.

Nick Gibb: Under the proposed arrangements for the 16-19 bursary funding, further education and sixth form colleges will be able to exercise their discretion to award 16-19 bursaries to young people—including young people who were in receipt of free school meals in year 11—in ways that best fit local needs and circumstances. We have no plans to link eligibility for free school meals directly to discretionary learner support funding.
	We are consulting on the details of the new arrangements and will work with the Association of Colleges and Sixth Form Colleges Forum and others to consider how, at a local level, colleges could work with schools and local authorities to identify those students who might benefit from a bursary.

Further Education: Free School Meals

Lisa Nandy: To ask the Secretary of State for Education pursuant to the oral statement of 28 March 2011, Official Report, column 53, on post-16 education funding, how many young people who were eligible for free school meals in year 11 progressed to a (a) sixth form college and (b) further education college in each of the last five academic years; and if he will estimate the level of funding which would be required to ensure that this number of students could receive up to £800 per academic year in discretionary learner support funding for 16 to 19 education for each such year.

Nick Gibb: The Department does not hold data on how many young people who were eligible for free school meals in year 11 progress to sixth form college or further education college. The latest data show that 13% of 15-year-olds are eligible for free school meals.
	We are projecting that there will be just over 1,275,000 16 to 18-year-olds in full-time education and training in 2011/12. At an average of £800, the money being made available under the 16-18 Bursary fund would support bursaries to over 15% of 16 to 18-year-olds in full-time education and training; more than sufficient to cover all of those eligible for free school meals in year 11.

Health Education: Drugs

Bob Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for Education if he will publish quality standards in respect of the provision and commissioning of drug education in schools.

Nick Gibb: All schools are required to deliver drug and alcohol education within the national curriculum for science and as part of personal, social, health and economic (PSHE) education. The Department's guidance, ‘Drugs: Guidance for Schools’ (2004), provides advice to schools on commissioning and providing high quality drug and alcohol education within these requirements.
	Our recent schools white paper, ‘The Importance of Teaching’, set out our proposals for reforming the school curriculum. We are developing a new national curriculum which will result in new programmes of study for science. We shall be conducting an internal review of PSHE education to determine how we can support schools to improve the quality of the PSHE education they deliver, including drug and alcohol education. As part of the review, we will consider what guidance schools might need on the provision and commissioning of drug and alcohol education.

Secondary Education: First Aid

Justin Tomlinson: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what estimate his Department has made of the number of maintained secondary schools in England that teach first aid; and how many such schools train their pupils in cardio-pulmonary resuscitation.

Nick Gibb: The Department does not collect data on the number of schools that teach first aid, nor on the number that train their pupils in cardio-pulmonary resuscitation. The non-statutory framework for personal, social, health and economic (PSHE) education includes teaching young people at primary school level about basic emergency procedures and where to get help; and at secondary school level, to develop the skills to cope with emergency situations that require basic first aid procedures, including, at key stage 4 (ages 15-16), resuscitation techniques.

Students: Finance

Andy Burnham: To ask the Secretary of State for Education whether his proposed 16-19 education bursary scheme will replace the (a) Care to Learn, (b) Dance and Drama Awards and (c) Residential Support schemes; and if he will make a statement.

Nick Gibb: The 16-19 bursary scheme does not replace Care to Learn, Dance and Drama Awards and Residential Support schemes. Those schemes will be continuing in 2011/12.

Teachers

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Education what estimate his Department has made of the number of failing teachers in the latest period for which figures are available.

Nick Gibb: The Department does not collect data about the number of failing teachers but, according to Ofsted’s latest annual report, 4% of teaching in 2009/10 was inadequate.

DEFENCE

Afghanistan and Iraq: Peacekeeping Operations

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence under what criteria operational allowances are made in (a) Afghanistan and (b) Iraq; and if he will make statement.

Andrew Robathan: The aim of the operational allowance is to recognise the significantly increased and enduring nature of the danger in specific operational locations. The Permanent Joint Headquarters undertake risk and rigour assessments, the contents of which is classified, and make recommendations to Ministers on whether the allowance should be paid. They review their assessment biannually.

Afghanistan and Iraq: Peacekeeping Operations

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many pilots were in receipt of operational allowances in (a) Afghanistan and (b) Iraq in each year since 2002; and if he will make a statement.

Andrew Robathan: The operational allowance was introduced in October 2006 and was doubled to its current value of £29.02 per day in May 2010. Data are not held in the format requested prior to 2009. The following table shows the total number of pilots who have been deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan since 1 April 2009 and have received the operational allowance:
	
		
			 Country 1 April 2009 to  31 March 2010 1 April 2010 to  31 March 2011 
			 Iraq 80 (1)— 
			 Afghanistan 440 450 
			 (1) Fewer than five Note: All totals have been rounded to nearest 10

Air Force: Guided Weapons

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many single mode Brimstone missiles the Royal Air Force has.

Peter Luff: Information relating to current and future in-service Brimstone missile stock levels is being withheld because its disclosure would, or would be likely to, prejudice the capability, effectiveness or security of the armed forces.

Armed Forces: Young People

Cathy Jamieson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how many people aged under 18-years-old serving in the armed forces were court-martialled in each of the last 10 years; and what (a) charges were brought and (b) action was taken in each case.

Andrew Robathan: For the naval service, records indicate that in the last 10 years, three personnel were under 18 years of age at the time of their trial/sentencing by court martial. In a very small number of additional cases, information on date of birth is not readily available and the age of the personnel involved cannot therefore be confirmed.
	
		
			 Naval service 
			  Charge Sentence 
			 2006 Battery and attempted wounding 13 months detention 
			 2007 Assault occasioning actual bodily harm (this individual was dealt with under the Army Act) £50 fine and payment in compensation of £500 
			 2008 Battery 28 days detention suspended, £100 compensation 
		
	
	In the Army in the last 10 years, 41 individuals under the age of 18 were charged with various offences. The details are provided in the following table.
	
		
			 Army 
			  Charge Sentence 
			 2001 Assault occasioning actual bodily harm 28 days detention 
			    
			 2002 Assault occasioning actual bodily harm Pay suspended: £150 
			  Acting to pervert the course of justice and four charges of battery £900 fine for battery: acquitted of remaining charges 
			  Assault occasioning actual bodily harm £250 fine 
			  Battery £150 fine 
			  Assault occasioning actual bodily harm £1,200 fine 
			  Offences against the Person Act 1861 £100 fine and pay suspended £1,000 
			    
			 2003 Handling stolen goods £75 fine 
			  Indecent assault 10 months detention and 2.5 years on sexual offences register 
			  Aggravated vehicle taking Pay suspended £2,830 
			  Assault occasioning actual bodily harm £500 fine 
			  Absent without leave 112 days detention and dismissal from service 
			    
			 2004 Inflicting grievous bodily harm 84 days detention 
			  Assault occasioning actual bodily harm Pay suspended £1,200 and restriction of privileges for 14 days 
			    
			 2005 Assault occasioning actual bodily harm Acquitted 
			  Conduct to the prejudice of good order and military discipline 54 days detention and dismissal from service 
			  Battery £750 fine and pay suspended £250 
			  Assault occasioning actual bodily harm 69 days detention and dismissal from service 
			  Unlawful wounding and assault Eight months detention suspended for a year and pay suspended £1,000 
			  Assault occasioning actual bodily harm £500 fine 
			    
			 2006 Affray 11 months detention 
			  Assault occasioning actual bodily harm 56 days detentions suspended for one year and pay suspended £250 
			  Absent without leave 26 days detention 
			    
			 2007 Assault occasioning actual bodily harm 22 days detention 
			  Fighting £100 fine 
			  Sexual assault Dismissal from service 
			  Harassment 42 days detention 
			  Assault occasioning actual bodily harm £900 fine and pay suspended £300 
		
	
	
		
			  Absent without leave 90 days detention and suspended for 12 months 
			  Inflicting grievous bodily harm 90 days detention suspended for one year and pay suspended £500 
			  Assault occasioning actual bodily harm £250 fine and pay suspended by £750 
			  Battery £850 fine 
			  Battery £650 fine 
			  Battery £850 fine 
			    
			    
			 2008 Assault occasioning actual bodily harm and supply of drugs Dismissal from service and 40 days detention 
			  Assault occasioning actual bodily harm Admonished 
			    
			 2009 Inflicting grievous bodily harm Nine months detention 
			  Assault occasioning actual bodily harm Seven months detention 
			  Assault occasioning actual bodily harm £300 fine 
			  Assault occasioning actual bodily harm Service supervision and punishment order for  30 days and payment of compensation of £250 
			    
			 2010 Assault occasioning actual bodily harm 20 days detention suspended for one year and compensation payment of £600 
		
	
	The RAF is unable to provide details of the number of under-18s who were court-martialled in each of the last 10 years as this information is not held centrally and could be provided only at disproportionate cost. However, the joint personnel administration system’s disciplinary database, which contains data from 2009 onwards, indicates that no RAF personnel under the age of 18 have been court-martialled.

Bahrain: Defence

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what British military assets are based in Bahrain.

Nick Harvey: In Bahrain, the UK Maritime Component Command consists of 60 personnel plus normally four Mine Counter-Measure Vessels and their shore support of 24 personnel. In addition, we have two RAF Communications flight aircraft (one x BAE146 and one x HS125) and their support of 42 personnel. The British embassy in Bahrain also has a Defence Section, consisting of two personnel.

Departmental Contracts

Graeme Morrice: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what the (a) total cost and (b) timescale is of the contract awarded to the Turner Group in respect of facilities management provided to his Department; and whether there is a clause to extend the contract if required.

Andrew Robathan: The current value of facilities management contracts with the Turner Group is some £150 million. This includes the Regional Prime Contract in Scotland which was recently extended from its initial seven year term until 31 March 2013. There is no ability to extend the contract beyond that date.
	A further contract providing other infrastructure services to six RAF bases is a five year contract up to 30 April 2014 with an option to extend until 30 April 2016.

Departmental Legal Costs

Andy Slaughter: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much his Department paid in (a) damages, (b) claimant costs and (c) defendant costs in respect of all civil claims brought against his Department in which the claimant was successful or the Department settled in each of the last three years.

Andrew Robathan: Data relating to civil claims for compensation is not recorded in the format requested. The overall payments for financial years 2007-08, 2008-09 and 2009-10 are set out in the following table. Figures for 2010-11 will be available in July 2011.
	
		
			 Financial year Payments (£ million) 
			 2009-10 89.9 
			 2008-09 83.7 
			 2007-08 85.7

Departmental Pensions

Steven Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence what proportion of his Department's budget he expects to be spent on staff pensions in each of the next five years.

Andrew Robathan: Civil service pensions are paid out of a central Government fund and do not form part of departmental expenditure. The following table, however, shows the proportion of the Department's budget that we currently plan to set aside in financial years 2011-12 to 2014-15 as a contribution towards civil service pensions. Figures for 2015-16 cannot be provided as this is outside of the current spending review period.
	
		
			  Percentage 
			 2011-12 0.94 
			 2012-13 0.92 
			 2013-14 0.93 
			 2014-15 0.95 
		
	
	The proportion of the Department's budget that is expected to be set aside as a contribution towards service personnel pensions is set out in the following table.
	
		
			  Percentage 
			 2011-12 6.33 
			 2012-13 6.25 
			 2013-14 6.46 
			 2014-15 6.87

Guided Weapons

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence 
	(1)  how many dual mode Brimstone missiles his Department has ordered in each of the last six months;
	(2)  how long it takes to convert a single mode Brimstone missile to a dual mode; and what the cost is for each such conversion.

Peter Luff: In addition to our existing stocks, the Ministry of Defence placed an order for 150 Dual Mode Brimstone missiles in December 2010, the only one in the last six months.
	After contract placement, the Prime Contractor is contracted to spend six to nine months preparing the missiles for conversion and procuring materiel, after which they will be delivered in monthly batches. We are working closely with the Prime Contractor to ensure the continuing availability of Dual Mode Brimstone for Operations Herrick and Ellamy.
	The cost of this conversion is between £35,000 and £45,000 (excluding VAT) per missile dependent on quantities ordered.
	A range of weapons is currently being used for operations in Libya including Brimstone missiles, Paveway II, Paveway IV, Stormshadow missiles and Tomahawk Land Attack Missiles.

Libya

Madeleine Moon: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence in what circumstances pilots operating in Libya would be eligible to receive operational allowance payments; and if he will make a statement.

Andrew Robathan: The aim of the operational allowance is to recognise the significantly increased and enduring nature of the danger in specified operational locations. Libya is not considered as such at this time, but we keep this under constant review.
	Service personnel involved in operations over Libya may however be eligible to receive other allowances such as longer separation allowance, and possibly local overseas allowance and messing allowances dependent on their precise circumstances.

Nuclear Submarines

Angus Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence whether the Royal Navy's nuclear submarine reactor programme will be included in the scope of the review to be conducted by HM Chief Inspector of Nuclear Installations into lessons for the UK nuclear industry following the Fukushima nuclear accident.

Peter Luff: The scope of the review is focused primarily on the civil nuclear sector. However, the Defence Nuclear Safety Regulator is working with HM Chief Inspector of Nuclear Installations on his report to assess whether there are any implications for the UK's nuclear submarine programme.

Third Sector

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence how much his Department provided to each charity it funds in each of the last five years; and how much he has allocated for funding to each such charity in each of the next five years.

Andrew Robathan: Funding provided through grants in aid to the voluntary, community and social enterprise sector in each of the last five years for which figures are currently available is shown in the following table. A grant in aid is typically used to fund part or all of the administration costs of the recipient body.
	
		
			 Grant in aid 
			 £ 
			 Body 2005-06 2006-07 2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 
			 RAF Museum 7,104,192 6,774,110 7,019,000 7,989,309 7,367,000 
			 RAF Sports Control Board 83,000 — 65,865 149,837 288,387 
			 Air Training Corps (1)— 33,005 34,000 34,850 35,721 
			 RAF Sports Board (1)— 165,923 — — — 
			 Royal British Legion Polish Ex-Servicemen (1)— 81,567 141,000 120,000 110,181 
			 Royal British Legion War Widows (1)— 65,665 61,000 61,000 62,220 
			 National Memorial Arboretum (1)— 250,000 — 371,296 169,594 
			 Skill Force 3,002,000 2,502,000 1,000,000 500,000 250,000 
			 Victoria and George Cross Reunion Association (1)— 30,000 — 40,000 — 
			 Commonwealth War Graves Commission 31,643,000 32,392,094 34,199,339 36,601,286 47,844,871 
			 Scott Polar Research Institute 35,000 35,000 35,000 35,000 35,000 
			 Armed Forces Memorial (1)— — 189,220 — 290,469 
			 National Army Museum 4,871,546 5,292,879 5,489,000 5,734,850 5,515,222 
			 Army Sports Control Board 404,000 307,245 417,195 434,032 425,744 
			 Council of Voluntary Welfare Work (1)— 125,469 80,448 85,273 77,793 
			 Gurkha Welfare Trust (1)— 679,010 988,000 1,077,000 938,000 
			 Army Families Federation (1)— 291,444 293,190 300,093 332,100 
			 Council of the Reserve Forces and Cadets Associations — — 57,489,076 59,369,448 63,490,300 
			 Royal Irish Home Service Benevolent Fund — — — — 124,179 
			 Royal Hospital Chelsea 9,207,000 9,232,000 9,554,000 10,487,000 10,824,000 
			 Fleet Air Arm Museum 579,063 593,724 614,000 631,000 (2)— 
		
	
	
		
			 Royal Marine Museum 783,252 740,788 765,480 783,000 (2)— 
			 Royal Navy Museum 1,025,044 895,502 873,000 1,045,000 (2)— 
			 RN Submarine Museum 548,317 561,997 575,708 591,000 (2)— 
			 National Museum of the Royal Navy — — — — 3,237,466 
			 Naval Families Federation (1)— 149,220 92,620 185,000 223,000 
			 Royal Navy Marine Society and Sea Cadets — 8,228,969 9,300,419 8,941,426 9,450,215 
			 RN Sports Board 117,000 272,907 — — — 
			 (1) Not available.(  2) Funded through the National Museum of the Royal Navy. 
		
	
	We also provide funding to charities through grants (for specific purposes) and commercial contractual arrangements (for specific services). A breakdown of the expenditure incurred could be provided only at disproportionate cost as these funding mechanisms are delegated locally and we do not currently identify discretely those grants and contracts which relate to charities. Details of all new central Government contracts are, however, now available online at:
	www.contractsfinder.businesslink.gov.uk
	I will write to the hon. Member to provide information on grant in aid funding for 2010-11, and on currently planned funding over the spending review period (up to 2014-15), once the details have been finalised for all bodies, which should be before the Whitsun recess.
	I apologise for the delay in answering this question.

War Widows: Pensions

Lindsay Roy: To ask the Secretary of State for Defence if he will review the practice of removing the pensions of military widows when they remarry; and if he will make a statement.

Andrew Robathan: holding answer 5 May 2011
	Successive Governments have maintained the principle that changes or improvements to public service pension schemes should not be applied retrospectively. This is because legacy pension issues cannot be looked at in isolation. Addressing one issue would increase the pressure to address legacy issues in all public sector pension schemes and this would have huge financial implications.

INTERNATIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Afghanistan: Armoured Fighting Vehicles

David Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development how many armoured cars used by his Department in Afghanistan have been lent to other organisations in the latest period for which figures are available.

Andrew Mitchell: None of them.

Burma: Earthquakes

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what information his Department holds on the level of financial support provided by the Government of Burma for emergency relief for those affected by the earthquake in Shan State, Burma.

Alan Duncan: The Burmese Government have not provided information on the cost of the emergency relief that they are providing in Shan State. We understand from the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs that the Burmese Government have provided cash assistance, food and medicines for the affected communities. Other donors, including UN agencies, international and local NGOs, neighbouring countries and the private sector, are also providing assistance.

Burma: Malaria

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what estimate he has made of the number of deaths in Burma from malaria in 2009; if he will assess the accuracy of estimates of the number of deaths made by the Burmese Government; and if he will make a statement.

Alan Duncan: The Department for International Development (DFID) has not made an independent estimate of the number of deaths in Burma from malaria in 2009. The officially reported figure for malaria-related deaths in Burma in 2009 is 972, based on health system data which may be limited.
	According to the World Health Organisation, malaria is endemic in 284 of the 325 townships in Burma. An estimated 68% of Burma's population is at a risk of contracting the disease. Combating malaria is a high priority for UK aid for Burma, working through UN agencies and non-governmental organisations rather than the Burmese central Government.

Developing Countries: Maternity Services

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development if his Department will publish information on expenditure for reproductive, maternal and newborn health interventions in 2008-09 under the UK’s Framework for Results, Choices for Women: Planned Pregnancies, Safe Births and Healthy Newborns, similar to the information on expenditure on malaria in the UK’s Framework for Results for Malaria.

Andrew Mitchell: Details of the Department for International Development’s (DFID) expenditure in 2008-09 are published in “Statistics on International Development” (SID), which is available in the Library of the House and on the DFID website at:
	http://www.dfid.gov.uk/Documents/publications1/sid2010/a3.xls?epslanguage=en
	Interventions on women’s and children’s health are captured across a number of the expenditure categories provided in SID and cannot be further disaggregated without disproportionate cost.

Developing Countries: Maternity Services

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what plans his Department has to publish information on spending commitments for reproductive, maternal and newborn health interventions for 2010-11 under the UK's Framework for Results, Choices for Women: Planned Pregnancies, Safe Births and Healthy Newborns.

Andrew Mitchell: The internationally agreed methodology for monitoring the Government's spending commitments on women's and children's health is provided in table A of the UK's Framework for Results for improving reproductive, maternal and newborn health. The methodology will be used to track the Government's expenditure annually and this will be published in the G8 accountability reports along with the expenditure of other donors.

Developing Countries: Maternity Services

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development 
	(1)  how his Department's planned detailed evaluation framework under the UK's Framework for Results, Choices for Women: Planned Pregnancies, Safe Births and Healthy Newborns will relate to the accountability framework to be produced by the Commission on Information and Accountability for Women's and Children's Health;
	(2)  with reference to Annex A5 of the UK's Framework for Results, Choices for Women: Planned Pregnancies, Safe Births and Healthy Newborns, what timetable he has set for the release of the detailed evaluation framework.

Andrew Mitchell: Work is currently in progress to develop a monitoring and evaluation framework for the UK's Framework for Results for improving reproductive, maternal and newborn health. This will be made available in mid 2011. The Government will work to achieve alignment between our framework and the Commission's accountability framework.

Lord's Resistance Army

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what support is provided by his Department to counter the influence of the Lord's Resistance Army in (a) Uganda and (b) the Democratic Republic of Congo.

Stephen O'Brien: The UK Government are an active member of the International Working Group on the Lord's Resistance Army (LRA) which, along with the African Union, co-ordinates the regional response that this threat requires.
	In Uganda, the Department for International Development (DFID) is supporting post conflict recovery and national reconciliation. This year, DFID will fund the construction of over 1,000 new houses for teachers and health workers; create new vocational training and job opportunities for over 4,000 young people and provide grants to small businesses especially those run by women affected by the conflict.
	In the DRC, where LRA activity continues to have a significant impact, DFID is one of the largest donors supporting a United Nations (UN) led effort to provide humanitarian assistance in areas most vulnerable to LRA attacks. The UK Government are supporting the UN peace keeping mission to encourage rebel combatants, including the LRA, to surrender and return to their communities. This has led to the disarmament of a steady number of LRA combatants.

North Korea: Overseas Aid

Sajid Javid: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development whether his Department provides aid to North Korea.

Alan Duncan: The Department for International Development does not have an aid programme for North Korea. The case for providing emergency assistance to meet urgent humanitarian needs in North Korea will be kept under review.

Syria: Overseas Aid

David Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for International Development what aid his Department is providing to Syria; and what steps he has taken to ensure that such aid does not assist Syrian security forces.

Andrew Mitchell: Britain does not have a bilateral programme in Syria.
	Britain is providing £1 million to UNHCR in 2011-12 for Iraqi refugees in Syria and approx £1.5-£1.8 million of our support to UNRWA this year will go to Palestinian refugees in Syria. The last Government started providing a small amount of assistance to Syria through the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), as part of a multi-country programme for improving natural resource governance for rural poverty reduction (approximately £150,000 over 2008-13, of which, £75,000 has already been spent). The EC provides some co-operation through the European Neighbourhood Partnership Initiative (ENPI), of which, the UK’s contribution is approximately 15% for 2011. Under the ENPI, €129 million has been programmed for 2011-13. On account of the current situation, the EC is not signing any new projects to Syria and has agreed to review all assistance to Syria.
	Britain is in contact with international humanitarian partners to monitor the situation in Syria and is encouraging them to make contingency plans for any humanitarian emergency that may develop. No UK delivered aid assistance to Syria is currently considered at risk of appropriation by security forces. In the case of potential future humanitarian funding, this risk will be evaluated as part of any funding decision.

ENERGY AND CLIMATE CHANGE

Carbon Emissions: Public Expenditure

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change when he plans to lay before the House a legislative proposal to give effect to the Fourth Carbon Budget; and if he will make a statement.

Gregory Barker: The Climate Change Act 2008 requires Government to set the level of the fourth carbon budget in law not later than 30 June 2011. Section 8 of the Act specifies that the order setting the carbon budget is subject to affirmative resolution procedure.

Climate Change: International Cooperation

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what priorities he has set for the forthcoming UN Climate Change Conference in Durban.

Gregory Barker: The Government are committed to working towards an ambitious global legally binding climate deal that will limit emissions and keep global average temperature rises to below 2(o) above pre-industrial levels. We will be working with our international partners, both in the European Union and bilaterally, to make progress in implementing the agreements reached at Cancun and to secure further practical progress by the time of the next Conference of Parties in Durban in November this year.

Departmental Pensions

Steven Baker: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what proportion of his Department’s budget he expects to be spent on staff pensions in each of the next five years.

Gregory Barker: Based on pension contributions in 2010-11, the estimated cost of DECC staff pensions as a proportion of the budget will be a third of a percent through the spending review period. This assumes that pension contributions remain at the same rates throughout the period, that there is no significant alteration in the staffing and grade mix of the Department.
	The latest spending review agreed departmental budgets to 2014-15, therefore we have no information beyond this date.

Electrical Engineering

Thomas Docherty: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change 
	(1)  what estimate he has made of the potential cost of retrofitting existing electrical infrastructure with measures to protect against an electromagnetic pulse or solar flare;
	(2)  whether he has met representatives of the energy industries to discuss voluntary implementation of protective measures for electric infrastructure projects to protect against an electromagnetic pulse or solar flare;
	(3)  whether he has met representatives of the energy industries to discuss the potential for measures requiring future electric infrastructure projects to protect against an electromagnetic pulse or solar flare.

Gregory Barker: We are very aware of the potential implications for electricity infrastructure of severe space weather or an electromagnetic pulse (EMP). National Grid, as operator of the GB’s electricity transmission network, has taken steps to reduce the risks, including daily monitoring of space weather information, and ensuring that operational procedures are in place to mitigate the potential impacts. Furthermore, National Grid’s specification for purchasing supergrid transformers requires a level of resilience based on the space weather event of 1989. DECC officials meet regularly with representatives from the energy industries to discuss a wide range of hazards and threats to energy networks. We are now working closely with National Grid to understand better the probability and impact on electricity networks of more severe space weather events than the networks in the UK have previously experienced. Robust scientific and technical evidence is needed before any decisions can be taken on further measures and associated costs to protect against electromagnetic hazards and threats. Further advice from National Grid is expected by the summer.

Electricity: Meters

Priti Patel: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what steps he has taken to minimise the cost of the smart meter roll-out.

Charles Hendry: On 30 March 2011, DECC and Ofgem published the response to the consultation on the Smart Metering Prospectus. The response sets out detailed plans for the roll-out of smart meters, including conclusions on the regulatory and commercial arrangements needed to enable the roll-out to be completed in a cost-efficient and timely way.
	Within this framework common specifications for smart metering equipment will be determined by the Government, based on an assessment of the costs and benefits. The approach will also involve central provision of communications and data services for smart metering following a competitive procurement process, which the Government have concluded f the roll-out. Suppliers will be responsible for procuring and installing smart meters for their customers, and they will have strong commercial incentives to deliver a good service at the lowest cost.

Energy Companies: Finance

Alan Whitehead: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change with reference to the HM Treasury publication, Control Framework for DECC levy-funded spending, what estimate he has made of the maximum funds available for the Energy Companies Obligation in each of the next three years.

Gregory Barker: ECO will fall within the control framework for levies-funded policies only if it is classified as a tax and spend policy. Classification decisions are made by the Office for National Statistics which has yet to consider the classification of ECO.
	DECC will not set the funding available for the ECO, rather DECC will set the outcomes the policy will deliver, allowing competitive pressure between the energy companies to keep delivery costs down.
	We will be consulting on policy proposals, and their potential cost implications in the autumn.

Energy: Housing

Chris Ruane: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what discussions he has had with representatives of (a) small building companies and (b) the Federation of Master Builders on the inclusion of the building sector in the Green Deal market.

Gregory Barker: The Department is in regular contact with the Federation of Master Builders and with other small building companies to ensure smaller construction companies are well placed to take advantage of the opportunities under the Green Deal, and can help contribute to its development.
	The FMB are also represented on the Green Deal Capacity and Innovation Forum which informs policy development on support for all relevant sectors.

Environment Protection: Business

Mary Macleod: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change 
	(1)  what steps he is taking to provide information to businesses about the potential financial benefits of adopting sustainable business practices;
	(2)  what mechanisms he has put in place to encourage businesses to adopt sustainable business practices.

James Paice: I have been asked to reply.
	On 11 March 2011 DEFRA published the results of research on the financial benefits to be gained by adopting sustainable business practices, which found that with little or no investment British business could save approximately £23 billion a year by improving energy and water use and reducing waste. The final report is available on the DEFRA website at:
	http://randd.defra.gov.uk/Default.aspx?Menu=Menu&Module =More&Location=None&ProjectID=16943&FromSearch =Y&Publisher=1&SearchText=EV0441&SortString =ProjectCode&SortOrder=Asc& Paging=10#Description
	The Business Link website (www.businesslink.gov.uk) is the Government's primary route for providing information to help businesses achieve these savings. Information about sustainable business practices can be found under the “Environment and Efficiency” theme.
	To complement and build upon the Business Link service, DEFRA is providing the Waste and Resources Action Programme (WRAP) with £35 million in 2011-12 to help businesses, communities and individuals become more sustainable, through the provision of more targeted and specialist advice and support on material resource efficiency.
	DEFRA also provides guidance on how businesses should report on their environmental impacts in their company reports through the Environmental Key Performance Indicators and specific guidance on how organisations should measure and report their greenhouse gas emissions.
	In November 2010 the Secretary of State laid a report before Parliament that considered the potential benefits of reporting greenhouse gas emissions for both companies and investors, which can be seen at:
	http://archive.defra.gov.uk/environment/business/reporting/pdf/corporate-reporting101130.pdf

Fossil Fuels

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what definition his Department uses of clean fossil fuel energy production.

Gregory Barker: We do not have a departmental definition of the term “clean fossil fuel energy”. However, phrases of this nature are often used to refer to measures, such as the deployment of carbon capture and storage (CCS), that lower carbon emissions from the generation of electricity using fossil fuels.

Fuels: Garages and Petrol Stations

Emma Reynolds: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what recent assessment he has made of the strategic importance of independent fuel retailers in ensuring national availability of fuel.

Charles Hendry: The UK has a diverse, open and competitive fuel retail market that we consider to be in the wider long-term interest of consumers. There are a large number of petrol retailers and forecourt operators that make a significant contribution to ensuring the availability of fuel across the UK. Ownership of the more than 8,500 forecourts in the UK and associated arrangements are a matter for fuel retailers operating in the market.
	The Office of Fair Trading regulates markets in the UK through enforcement of competition law, to ensure that markets work well for the benefit of consumers.

Natural Gas

David Morris: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change 
	(1)  what subsidies Centrica received from the public purse in respect of its operations in the Morecambe Bay area in the last five years;
	(2)  whether he plans to bring forward proposals for a new liquid natural gas floating platform in the Morecambe Bay area; and whether he plans to make any subsidies available for such a project;
	(3)  whether gas platforms in the Morecambe Bay area export gas direct from source to other countries;
	(4)  if he will estimate the contribution of the gas industry to levels of employment in the Morecambe Bay area;
	(5)  whether he has discussed with (a) Centrica and (b) other gas exploration companies the potential for construction of a floating platform for the extraction of liquid natural gas in the vicinity of Morecambe Bay;
	(6)  what estimate he has made of the quantity of natural gas remaining in the South Morecambe Bay area.

Charles Hendry: No subsidies from the public purse have been made in respect of Centrica's operations in the Morecambe Bay area during the last five years. Hoeg LNG AS have applied for a pipeline works authorisation for an LNG import facility (Port Meridian) which would involve a pipeline and unloading buoy for liquid natural gas in the Morecambe Bay area. No subsidies are involved or are being considered for this project. The Department has had no discussions with any other operators on licensing similar projects in the Morecambe Bay area.
	Gas platforms in the Morecambe Bay area do not export any gas directly to other countries. I cannot comment on the quantity of remaining natural gas reserves in the South Morecambe Bay area as this is commercial matter for the operator involved. DECC has made no estimate of the contribution of offshore gas industry in the Morecambe Bay area to employment.

Nuclear Power: Germany

Paul Flynn: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change whether he has discussed with his German counterpart the decision of the German Government to phase out nuclear power by 2023.

Charles Hendry: The Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, my right hon. Friend the Member for Eastleigh (Chris Huhne), has not met with the German State Secretary since the German Government’s decision on their future energy mix. I, as the Minister for Energy, did meet with the State Secretary as part of the Energy Council informal meeting held on 2-3 May where we discussed a range of energy issues including nuclear safety. I have also met with the German Environment Minister during a ministerial visit to the Ukraine on the 18-20 April.

Nuclear Safety

Caroline Lucas: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change whether Ministers made representations to other EU member states on the inclusion of the effect of aircraft collisions with nuclear installations in the stress tests developed by the EU nuclear safety authorities during the debate held at the informal EU Energy Council in Gödöllö, Hungary.

Charles Hendry: The development of the stress test, and the inclusion of aircraft collisions, was not raised at the informal EU Energy Council meeting in Gödöllö in Hungary, However, it was raised in my bilateral meeting with Commissioner Oettinger. I confirmed the UK commitment to a robust EU wide nuclear safety stress test focused on lessons learned from Fukushima and that the test should not include security measures as this must remain part of our national security arrangements and should therefore be dealt with separately.

Offshore Industry: Safety

George Howarth: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what safeguards have been implemented in the last 12 months to prevent explosions and oil spills arising from deepwater drilling in UK waters; and what changes there have been to his risk assessment of deepwater drilling following the implementation of such measures.

Charles Hendry: Safety of oil and gas operations is a matter for the Health and Safety Executive.
	Environmental regulation of offshore oil and gas operations is however a matter for the Department of Energy and Climate Change. In the light of an initial rapid review conducted after the Macondo accident in the Gulf of Mexico, the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change, my right hon. Friend the Member for Eastleigh (Chris Huhne), decided that it would be prudent to increase the number of environmental inspections of drilling rigs operating in the deep water area West of Shetland. He announced in a DECC press notice on 8 June 2010 that recruitment of additional offshore environmental inspectors had been put in hand. In a statement given to the House on 14 June 2010,
	Official Report
	, column 630, he announced his decision to double the Department's inspections of drilling rigs, and indicated his intention to conduct a further review of UK regulatory procedures once a detailed analysis of the factors that had caused the accident was available. Licensees are already required to demonstrate, in seeking consent for new drilling operations, that there will be effective co-ordination between all companies involved in the drilling operations; in respect of new consents for deepwater drilling, we also require rigorous testing of the effectiveness of the co-ordination arrangements, including additional inspections and exercises as necessary.
	In December, the Department wrote to all North sea operators, updating its existing guidance on environmental submissions, as regards the content of oil pollution emergency plans, the preparation of environmental impact assessments, and applications for chemicals permits.
	Following the publication in January of the report of the US National Commission into the accident, the further review of UK regulatory procedures foreshadowed by the Secretary of State on 14 June 2010, Official Report, column 630, has been commenced. It will report later this year.

Renewable Energy: Feed-in Tariffs

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what assessment he has made of the effects of recent charges to feed-in tariffs on levels of private sector expenditure on renewable energy.

Gregory Barker: DECC does not make specific assessments of private sector expenditure on renewable energy.
	There have been no recent changes to feed-in tariffs (FITs) other than the uplifting of tariffs on 1 April 2011 to take account of inflation, as measured by the retail prices index (RPI). This is to ensure that FITs support remains constant in real terms, and so will not affect levels of uptake under the FITs scheme, and hence private sector expenditure on renewable energy will not be affected.
	On 6 May 2011 a consultation closed which sought views on proposals to reduce FITs for solar photovoltaic installations of more than 50kW and increase tariffs for anaerobic digestion plants of less than 500kW. We are considering all views expressed as part of the consultation in finalising the policy and will confirm the outcome in due course.

Solar Power

Huw Irranca-Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what assessment has been made of the potential for (a) growth and (b) employment in the solar power sector.

Gregory Barker: The production capacity of the UK solar photovoltaic market has expanded significantly as a result of the introduction of the feed-in-tariff. Opportunities in the supply chain have also increased.
	The solar PV industry reports that jobs in the sector have increased from 3,000 in January 2010 to over 10,000 in January 2011 and are predicted to continue to rise significantly in the years ahead.
	The feed-in-tariff scheme (FITs) supports a wide range of domestic and community scale renewables, including solar PV.
	For more information on the shift to a low carbon economy and business growth opportunities see:
	http://www.bis.gov.uk/policies/business-sectors/low-carbon-business-opportunities/market-intelligence

Warm Front Scheme

Julie Elliott: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what the average time taken to repair a domestic boiler under the Warm Front Programme was (a) in general and (b) in cases where customers had chronic health problems in the latest period for which figures are available.

Gregory Barker: The average time taken to repair a domestic boiler under the Warm Front Scheme in 2010-11 was 50.4 working days. The average time taken to repair a domestic boiler for those customers in receipt of disability living allowance was 49.7 working days.

Wind Power: Finance

David Hanson: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change what representations he has received on his decision to make available funding for offshore wind manufacturing under the Grant for Business Investment scheme to port sites in England only.

Charles Hendry: Funding made available to support offshore wind manufacturing at port locations is industrial support and a devolved matter. Support in England will be provided under the GBI scheme in Assisted Areas. Ensuring that the UK benefits from the expansion of offshore wind is a priority for Government. I continue to have discussions with stakeholders, including on the ways of developing the offshore wind supply chain.

Wind Power: Finance

David Hanson: To ask the Secretary of State for Energy and Climate Change which port sites in England have received funding for offshore wind manufacturing under the Grant for Business Investment scheme.

Charles Hendry: Bids for support under this scheme are made on a confidential basis. Under the Grant for Business Investment scheme, information on grant offers for sums greater than £75,000 is normally published following the payment of the first instalment of the grant, including the name and location of the recipient of the grant and the size of the grant offered.
	The scheme is not open to port-only applications. Our objective for this funding is to support the development of offshore wind manufacturing capacity, which will need to be at coastal locations. We therefore expect all applications to involve large scale manufacturing proposals and to be led either by a manufacturer, or to be jointly led by a port/landowner and a manufacturer.

FOREIGN AND COMMONWEALTH AFFAIRS

Columbia: Politics and Government

Andrew Love: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports his Department has received of the massacre of three people in Putumayo department Colombia on 11 February 2011; and whether his Department has made representations to the Colombian Government on this matter.

Alistair Burt: Our embassy in Bogota has not received any reports on this case. We are aware that the Colombian Government are investigating the killing of five people in the municipality of San Miguel, in the Department of Putumayo on 11 February 2011.
	Members of an unidentified armed group entered the farm and killed four adults and a child. Colombia's Ombudsman has denounced the killing.
	We have not made representations to the Colombian Government but our embassy in Bogota will continue to monitor the investigation and raise it with the Colombian Government should it prove necessary.

Columbia: Politics and Government

Andrew Love: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he has received reports of allegations of collaboration between the Jose Hilario Lopez Battalion of the Colombian Army and paramilitary organisations in Cauca department, Colombia.

Alistair Burt: We are aware of reports that on 19 July 2010, soldiers from the seventh General Jose Hilario Lopez Battalion in the Corinto municipality detained two young men in the village of Palo Negro. The soldiers are alleged to have threatened the two men and told them that they were working with the paramilitary group known as the 'Black Eagles'.
	It is our understanding that this has been reported to the authorities and a disciplinary investigation has been launched by the Provincial Attorney of Santander de Quilichao, Cauca.

Columbia: Politics and Government

Andrew Love: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether his Department has made representations to the Colombian authorities on due process in the case of David Rabelo.

Alistair Burt: We continue to underline to the Colombian authorities that all those charged with crimes should have their legal rights fully respected, including to a fair and efficient trial. This includes Mr Ravelo's case, which our Ambassador to Colombia last raised with the Head of the Vice President's Human Rights and International Humanitarian Law Unit in November,
	We are in regular contact with the human rights organisations working on Mr Ravelo's case and understand that the preliminary hearing of his trial will take place next month. While the UK cannot interfere in Colombia's judicial process, we will continue to monitor Mr Ravelo's case and raise any concerns regarding due process with the Colombian authorities.

Departmental Ministers' Private Offices

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many officials from ethnic minorities work in the private offices of Ministers in his Department.

Henry Bellingham: This information is not released for reasons of confidentiality and to avoid the possibility of revealing information about individual staff. However, the staffing of private offices, in terms of the proportion of officials from ethnic minorities, is broadly consistent with the rest of the Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

Departmental Travel

Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how many first class rail journeys were undertaken by staff in his Department between April 2010 and April 2011; and what the total cost was of such journeys.

Henry Bellingham: In 2010-11 99.1% of all railway journeys made in the UK by staff were in standard class. A total of 2,620 journeys were made, of which 24 were in first class at a cost of £1,939. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office does not keep a central record of railway journeys undertaken globally by its staff.

Employment Agencies

Mike Freer: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs how much his Department spent on (a) recruitment agency fees, (b) outplacement agency fees for displaced or redundant staff and (c) staff training in the last year for which figures are available.

David Lidington: The information requested is as follows.
	(a) In the financial year 2010-11, the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) spent £286,879 on recruitment agency fees. This represents a 75% decrease over the last two years due to rigorous tendering processes for every recruitment campaign. The FCO uses recruitment agencies to attract the widest possible range of talented applicants. For specialist campaigns, agencies are better placed to target applicants with the most relevant skills within that sector. The use of agencies has proven to be more cost-effective than using in-house recruitment resources for those aspects of campaigns, and is common practice throughout Government Departments.
	The FCO is fully compliant with the Government-wide recruitment freeze and is only recruiting in exceptional circumstances, as set out in the policy.
	(b) In financial year 2010-11, the FCO spent a total of £26,325 on outplacement agency fees for displaced and redundant staff. This includes outplacement support and the running of Career Transition Workshops.
	(c) The Human Resources Directorate of the FCO spent approximately £8.66 million on training in financial year 2010-11, including approximately £3 million on language training. A number of other Directorates within the FCO run specialist training courses for their areas of activity. Expenditure on this type of training is not centrally recorded.

Human Rights

David Winnick: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs if he will list the 20 states his Department records as having the worst record on human rights.

Jeremy Browne: The Foreign and Commonwealth Office's (FCO) Command Paper on Human Rights and Democracy published in March covers 26 countries of concern. These are among the countries where we have the most serious, wide-ranging human rights concerns and where the UK Government are engaged in promoting and protecting human rights. They are (in alphabetical order): Afghanistan, Belarus, Burma, Chad, China, Colombia, Cuba, Democratic People's Republic of Korea, Democratic Republic of Congo, Eritrea, Iran, Iraq, Israel and the Occupied Palestinian Territories, Libya, Pakistan, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Somalia, Sri Lanka, Sudan, Syria, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan, Vietnam, Yemen and Zimbabwe.
	However, the FCO does not maintain a human rights league table. We have concerns about many countries not included in the Command Paper list. All our embassies and high commissions monitor and raise human rights issues in their host countries. It is important to focus FCO resources where we can make a difference, while continuing to speak out about human rights violations wherever they occur.

Libya: Diplomatic Relations

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent information he has received on the protection of foreign diplomatic missions by the Libyan authorities.

Alistair Burt: A mob looted, attacked and burned the British embassy and ambassador's residence in Tripoli on 30 April 2011. The diplomatic premises of France, Italy, Qatar, the US and the UN also suffered damage. The Vienna convention requires the Qadhafi regime to protect diplomatic missions in Tripoli. By failing to do so, that regime has once again breached its international responsibilities and obligations. In response the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), has expelled the Libyan ambassador to the UK. The attacks against diplomatic missions will not weaken our resolve to protect the civilian population in Libya.

Malaysia: Human Rights

Paul Blomfield: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he has made representations to the government of Malaysia concerning Mr Charles Hector Fernandez; what his most recent assessment is of the situation of human rights campaigners in Malaysia; and if he will make a statement.

Jeremy Browne: The EU Delegation in Kuala Lumpur has met with Charles Hector Fernandez and has been following his trial on behalf of member states. The Malaysian Government is not a party to the case, which is a civil matter between Mr Fernandez and a Japanese company. The UK has therefore made no representations to the Malaysian Government, but our high commission in Kuala Lumpur continues to monitor the trial.
	Malaysia has a national framework for the protection of human rights enshrined in its constitution. However, we remain concerned that human rights defenders who challenge the Government can suffer harassment and arrest. EU missions in Kuala Lumpur met local human rights defenders in March 2010 and maintain a dialogue with them. Our high commission also maintains contacts with human rights defenders and regularly speaks to them and to the national human rights commission (SUHAKAM) on a range of human rights issues.

Maldives: Tourism

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what plans he has to update advice offered to UK citizens (a) in and (b) planning to travel to the Maldives following recent events in that country.

Jeremy Browne: On 4 May 2011, following reports of a large demonstration planned for 6 May 2011 in the capital, Male, we amended our travel advice. We are not advising against travel to Maldives. We encourage members of the public to check our full travel advice at:
	www.fco.gov.uk/travel
	where our advice on Maldives makes clear that British nationals should avoid demonstrations and beware of spontaneous gatherings as these have turned violent in the past.

North Africa: Tourism

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what (a) discussions he has had with (i) Ministerial colleagues and (ii) others and (b) precautions have been taken in respect of UK tourists visiting North Africa following the bomb attack in Morocco on 28 April 2011.

Alistair Burt: The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague) has discussed the bomb attack in Morocco with Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) Ministers and the Prime Minister's Office and other Ministers are aware. I have spoken to the Moroccan ambassador to London and the Moroccan Foreign Minister, Taieb Fassi-Fihri, to express our condolences and confirm our support for Morocco during this difficult time. Our ambassador to Morocco has been in regular contact with Moroccan Ministers and officials since the attack and has so far visited Marrakech twice to keep contact with the local authorities and oversee the consular operation.
	Immediately following the explosion on 28 April, we deployed staff to Marrakech. Consular staff from Marrakech were at the scene within hours of the attack, and later that day our Counter Terrorism Liaison Officer based at the embassy in Rabat arrived in Marrakech to assist the consular process and work with the Moroccan authorities. Within 24 hours of the attack a Rapid Deployment Team from London arrived in Marrakech to assist our consular staff on the ground in accounting for the safety of British nationals. We also set up a helpline for callers worried about friends or family. We have updated our travel advice for Morocco in line with the latest information on possible threats and will continue to keep to keep it under close review.

North Korea: Human Rights

David Winnick: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what recent reports he has received on the existence of forced labour camps in North Korea; and whether his Department plans to raise the issue (a) at the UN and (b) with other international bodies.

Jeremy Browne: As Amnesty International's report of 4 May 2011 illustrates, North Korea imprisons large numbers of people for their political and religious beliefs. Through our embassy in Pyongyang, and in meetings with North Korean officials in London, we regularly raise human rights and also press the North Korean regime to allow the UN Special Rapporteur on human rights in North Korea access to their country. We called for this most recently in the UN Human Rights Council Resolution on the human rights situation in North Korea in Geneva in March 2011. The Foreign and Commonwealth Office's 2010 Human Rights Report, which was presented to Parliament in March 2011, also raised our concern about these camps. We will continue to press them on our concerns and urge them to allow independent verification of the situation.

Robert Mugabe

Gregory Campbell: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he had with his EU counterparts on the lifting of the travel ban on President Mugabe to enable him to travel to a religious ceremony in Rome on 1 May 2011.

Henry Bellingham: Although President Mugabe is subject to an EU travel ban, the Vatican is not a member of the EU and conducts its own foreign policy. Italy is bound by the Lateran treaty not to inhibit the passage of official visitors to the Vatican. Our ambassador in Harare did however discuss this issue with his Italian colleague and other counterparts to ensure consistency with the EU Common Position.
	The visa issued by Italy to President Mugabe was time-limited for the event in question and valid only for Italian territory.

Sri Lanka: Internally Displaced Persons

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what discussions he has had with his Sri Lankan counterparts on the release of displaced persons from camps in Sri Lanka.

Alistair Burt: During my visit to Sri Lanka in February, I talked to resettled communities about their efforts to recover from the war and rebuild their lives. The number of people in the camps has reduced from about 300,000 to about 17,000. I understand that most of those remaining will leave the camps during this year and return to their homes. I raised our concerns for the welfare of displaced people during my talks with the Government at the time, and again when I met the Sri Lankan Foreign Minister on 31 March 2011, and expressed our desire for improved humanitarian access to the north and the need to address ongoing challenges of resettlement.

Sri Lanka: Politics and Government

Keith Vaz: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what assessment he has made of the recommendations of the UN Panel of Experts’ report on accountability in Sri Lanka.

Alistair Burt: The report sets out the importance of a credible and independent investigation into allegations of violations of international human rights and humanitarian law by both sides during the conflict, as we have consistently urged the Government of Sri Lanka to do. We are studying the recommendations and full report carefully and urge the Sri Lankan Government to use it as a means to promote national reconciliation.

Tax Avoidance

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs 
	(1)  whether he has had any recent discussions with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on offshore UK tax avoidance in St Helena and the St Helena Dependencies (Ascension and Tristan da Cunha);
	(2)  whether he has had any recent discussions with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on offshore UK tax avoidance in South Georgia and South Sandwich Islands;
	(3)  whether he has had recent discussions with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on offshore UK tax avoidance in the British Antarctic Territory;
	(4)  whether he has had recent discussions with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on offshore UK tax avoidance in the British Indian Ocean Territory;
	(5)  whether he has had recent discussions with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on offshore UK tax avoidance in Pitcairn, Henderson, Ducie and Oeno Islands.

Henry Bellingham: No. The above mentioned Territories are not considered offshore financial centres and are not seen by the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development or other international organisations as Territories posing an offshore tax evasion risk.
	Taxation is a devolved competence in the UK Overseas Territories under the terms of their constitutions and UK tax legislation does not apply. The UK’s Overseas Territories which are considered offshore financial centres have made a commitment to comply with international standards on transparency and exchange of information on tax matters.

Tax Avoidance

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs whether he has had any recent discussions with the Chancellor of the Exchequer on offshore UK tax avoidance in Sovereign Base Areas of Akrotiri and Dhekelia.

David Lidington: The Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, my right hon. Friend the Member for Richmond (Yorks) (Mr Hague), has had no discussions with the Chancellor of the Exchequer about offshore UK tax avoidance in the Sovereign Base Areas of Akrotiri and Dhekelia. I refer the hon. Member to the Secretary of State for Defence, the right hon. Member for North Somerset (Dr Fox), as the Sovereign Base Areas are military bases on the island of Cyprus and are administered by the Ministry of Defence.

United Arab Emirates: Gulf Cooperation Council

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received on the number of (a) military personnel and (b) police officers that the United Arab Emirates contributed to the Gulf Co-operation Council force sent to Bahrain in March 2011.

Alistair Burt: holding answer 5 May 2011
	On 14 March 2011 Gulf Co-operation Council (GCC) forces were deployed to Bahrain in response to a Bahraini request for assistance under the GCC Peninsula Shield agreement. This included a military contingent from United Arab Emirates (UAE) but confirmed figures for the exact number of UAE personnel are not available.

United Arab Emirates: Gulf Cooperation Council

Jeremy Corbyn: To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs what reports he has received on the (a) military and (b) other equipment that the United Arab Emirates contributed to the Gulf Co-operation Council force sent to Bahrain in March 2011.

Alistair Burt: holding answer 5 May 2011
	We have seen no evidence that the United Arab Emirates have contributed anything other than a military contingent and their personal equipment.

HOME DEPARTMENT

Alcohol Sales: Children

Mark Pawsey: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what legislative proposals she plans to bring forward for further restrictions on the sale of alcohol to children.

Theresa May: The Government do not tolerate the sale of alcohol to children. The Police Reform and Social Responsibility Bill will double the maximum fine from £10,000 to £20,000, delivering on a coalition agreement commitment, and extend the minimum period of voluntary closure that can be given for persistent under-age sales. We are also committed to working with the Sentencing Council and the Crown Prosecution Service, in order to prosecute those found guilty of persistent under-age selling and to use the full range of sentences available.

Violence Against Women and Girls

David Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what progress has been made on the Government's action plan for ending violence against women and girls; and if she will make a statement.

Lynne Featherstone: The Action Plan on tackling Violence Against Women and Girls was published on 8 March this year, and we have already delivered in several areas. We have provided over £28 million of stable Home Office funding until 2015 for local specialist services, £900,000 has been made available until 2015 to support national helplines and we have implemented legislation for multi-agency Domestic Homicide Reviews after every domestic murder.

Immigration

Tony Baldry: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what recent steps she has taken to tackle the abuse of the immigration system through sham marriages.

Damian Green: We have taken a number of steps to tackle this problem, targeted enforcement action led to 155 arrests last year and the dismantling of several organised facilitation groups. We are working closely with registrars and clergy, and have agreed procedural changes with the Church of England to allow greater scrutiny. We will publish a wider consultation on family migration later this year to strengthen further our approach.

Student Visas

Jason McCartney: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what estimate she has made of the likely effect of her policy on student visas on the number of visas issued in the 12 months following its implementation.

Damian Green: The policy will be fully implemented by the end of 2012. From then on the estimated reduction is of the order of 70,000 main applicant visas a year, plus a further reduction in student dependents of about 20,000.

Police: Rule A19

Karl Turner: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many police officers were subject to the A19 regulation in the latest period for which figures are available; and if she will make a statement.

Nick Herbert: Chief officers, working with police authorities, are responsible for managing the resources and staff available to them to ensure effective policing. They are best placed to consider operational decisions including the impact of using their powers under Regulation A19.

Alcoholic Drinks: Arrests

Chi Onwurah: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what guidance her Department issues to police forces on the treatment and care of those arrested for being drunk and incapable.

James Brokenshire: The Association of Chief Police Officers (ACPO) and Home Office (2006) Guidance on the Safer Detention and Handling of Persons in Police Custody, provides the police service with non-statutory guidance on the treatment and care of arrested persons and includes guidance on the management of individuals who are, or may be drunk and incapable.
	The National Policing Improvement Agency (NPIA) is currently reviewing this guidance and a revised version is expected to be available later this year.

Assets

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  how much was recovered under the Confiscation of Criminal Assets Act 2003 (a) in total and (b) in each police authority area in each year since its coming into force; and how much is in the process of being recovered;
	(2)  what the monetary value was of assets (a) seized and (b) frozen under the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002 in each police force area in the East of England in each year since 2002.

James Brokenshire: The Confiscation of Criminal Assets Act 2003 is not UK legislation.
	For the Proceeds of Crime Act 2002, the table, which will be placed in the House Libraries, gives a break down of the value of orders and money recovered by every police force giving details of confiscation orders following a criminal conviction and cash forfeitures in civil proceedings. The value of assets frozen is not held centrally and a restraint order can be made against all a defendant’s property without the need to calculate the monetary worth of those assets.

CCTV

Greg Knight: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what guidance her Department issues on the (a) quality and (b) standard of CCTV recordings made by (i) police forces and (ii) her Department and its agencies.

James Brokenshire: The Home Office has issued no specific guidance to the police or other agencies of the Department on the quality and standard of CCTV recordings. A public consultation, launched on 1 March, on the development of a code of practice on surveillance cameras, seeks views on proposals to develop core standards, including in relation to CCTV images.

Crime

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many (a) shotguns, (b) rifles and (c) handguns were stolen in (i) England and Wales and (ii) each police force area in each year since 2007-08; and how many have been subsequently recovered and returned to the owner.

James Brokenshire: Data on ‘misappropriated’ firearms (i.e. stolen, obtained by fraud or forgery etc., or handled dishonestly) are collected from all police forces in England and Wales and were published on 20 January 2011 in table 2.12 of “Homicides, Firearms Offences and Intimate Violence 2009/10” at the following link:
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/publications/science-research-statistics/research-statistics/crime-research/hosb0111/hosb0111?view=Binary
	Data for England and Wales for 2007-08 to 2009-10 are provided in table A. These data are broken down by police force area in table B.
	Information on whether or not stolen firearms are subsequently recovered and returned to the owner is not collected centrally.
	
		
			 Table A: Firearms misappropriated  (1)   in crimes recorded by the police in England and Wales, 2007-08 to 2009-10 
			 Weapon type 2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 
			 Shotguns 289 682 509 
			 Rifles 199 242 183 
			 Handguns 80 91 96 
		
	
	
		
			 Table B: Firearms misappropriated  (1)   in crimes recorded by the police, England and Wales, by police force area, 2007-08 to 2009-10 
			  2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 
			 Force Shotguns Rifles Handguns Shotguns Rifles Handguns Shotguns Rifles Handguns 
			 Avon and Somerset 6 5 3 17 8 1 18 1 1 
			 Bedfordshire 3 0 0 12 0 0 21 4 1 
			 Cambridgeshire 10 8 0 27 5 0 28 4 0 
			 Cheshire 13 8 2 6 2 1 18 3 1 
			 Cleveland 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Cumbria 6 2 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 
			 Derbyshire 3 6 4 14 5 7 14 1 6 
			 Devon and Cornwall 2 1 2 8 4 5 5 3 2 
			 Dorset 5 3 2 10 6 2 7 7 0 
			 Durham 2 0 0 9 0 0 3 5 3 
			 Essex 6 3 2 17 0 0 30 8 2 
			 Gloucestershire 2 2 0 10 0 1 2 3 0 
			 Greater Manchester 1 1 6 5 4 1 20 7 1 
			 Hampshire 9 7 0 13 0 0 5 0 0 
			 Hertfordshire 7 2 4 26 2 1 21 4 1 
			 Humberside 2 9 5 4 15 7 1 10 2 
			 Kent 6 2 2 26 0 6 29 2 2 
			 Lancashire 0 4 0 12 5 0 6 6 0 
			 Leicestershire 7 1 0 0 1 4 8 0 0 
			 Lincolnshire 17 3 0 15 10 1 4 9 5 
			 City of London 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 
			 Merseyside 3 4 1 3 4 3 5 7 2 
			 Metropolitan Police 19 0 1 37 11 4 12 3 35 
			 Norfolk 20 2 0 7 1 0 16 1 0 
			 Northamptonshire 3 2 0 17 3 6 7 2 0 
			 Northumbria 9 7 2 7 3 0 3 4 0 
			 North Yorkshire 3 2 0 12 5 0 2 0 2 
			 Nottinghamshire 22 8 0 20 1 2 2 1 0 
			 South Yorkshire 5 4 1 21 2 2 8 4 5 
			 Staffordshire 13 31 19 4 1 2 2 0 1 
			 Suffolk 2 4 1 6 11 2 13 31 2 
			 Surrey 4 0 0 5 0 0 21 0 0 
			 Sussex 14 3 7 17 7 2 8 1 4 
			 Thames Valley 15 35 5 5 35 12 36 9 5 
			 Warwickshire 17 0 1 17 5 1 12 1 0 
			 West Mercia 9 11 1 19 24 7 16 11 2 
			 West Midlands 2 0 2 2 6 3 10 13 3 
			 West Yorkshire 8 3 0 19 12 6 10 5 6 
			 Wiltshire 4 3 1 4 1 0 1 1 1 
			 Dyfed-Powys 1 0 0 1 1 0 6 1 0 
			 Gwent 4 1 0 227 35 0 65 10 0 
			 North Wales 3 12 5 0 6 2 10 0 1 
			 South Wales 2 0 0 1 1 0 3 1 0 
			 Total 289 199 80 682 242 91 509 183 96 
			 (1) Misappropriated is defined as stolen, obtained by fraud or forgery etc., or handled dishonestly.

Crime

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many investigations into organised crime organisations have been undertaken by (a) the Serious and Organised Crime Agency and (b) other police organisations in each of the last five years.

James Brokenshire: The Serious and Organised Crime Agency (SOCA) operational activity, which is aligned to the UK Organised Crime Control Strategy, consists of operations against individuals and organised crime groups, thematic projects, and single strand enquiries.
	SOCA had in progress as of 31 March in each year the following number of operations:
	
		
			  Number of operations 
			 2010-11 478 
			 2009-10 467 
			 2008-09 401 
			 2007-08 313 
			 2006-07 283 
		
	
	Information on investigations undertaken by other police organisations is not held centrally.

Crime

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many robberies there were in each police force area in each year since 2009.

James Brokenshire: The information requested is given in the following table.
	
		
			 Offences of robbery recorded by the police 
			 Number of offences 
			  2007-08 2008-09 2009-10 
			 Avon and Somerset 1,906 2,040 1,777 
			 Bedfordshire 1,210 1,014 714 
			 British Transport Police 1,042 870 681 
			 Cambridgeshire 624 830 702 
			 Cheshire 572 581 429 
			 Cleveland 499 404 286 
			 Cumbria 52 50 45 
			 Derbyshire 796 804 840 
			 Devon and Cornwall 540 511 427 
			 Dorset 243 262 218 
			 Durham 181 170 162 
			 Dyfed-Powys 46 35 36 
			 Essex 1,310 1,305 1,096 
			 Gloucestershire 298 259 207 
			 Greater Manchester 7,433 7,065 5,966 
			 Gwent 252 220 249 
			 Hampshire 1,066 1,154 1,080 
			 Hertfordshire 758 759 645 
			 Humberside 1,003 773 613 
			 Kent 1,151 1,015 855 
			 Lancashire 966 865 690 
			 Leicestershire 1,059 1,210 1,037 
			 Lincolnshire 166 198 212 
			 London, City of 54 43 43 
			 Merseyside 1,671 1,686 1,627 
			 Metropolitan Police 37,045 32,555 33,463 
			 Norfolk 286 286 305 
			 Northamptonshire 876 898 774 
			 Northumbria 800 732 572 
			 North Wales 134 151 121 
			 North Yorkshire 248 247 202 
			 Nottinghamshire 2,052 2,279 1,930 
			 South Wales 828 809 605 
		
	
	
		
			 South Yorkshire 1,283 1,184 1,015 
			 Staffordshire 711 791 703 
			 Suffolk 262 271 247 
			 Surrey 406 415 420 
			 Sussex 899 1,034 936 
			 Thames Valley 2,117 2,368 2,187 
			 Warwickshire 375 334 280 
			 West Mercia 532 562 468 
			 West Midlands 7,664 7,820 7,241 
			 West Yorkshire 2,989 2,936 2,740 
			 Wiltshire 343 339 255 
			 England and Wales 84,748 80,134 75,101

Crimes of Violence

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many offences of each type committed under the Offences Against the Person Act 1861 were recorded in each year since 2006; and what proportion of such offences resulted in (a) court proceedings against suspected perpetrators, (b) convictions and (c) sanction detections.

James Brokenshire: The information is not available in the form requested.
	The tables give the number of offences recorded under the Offences against the Person Act 1861 since 2006-07 that are separately identifiable within police recorded crime statistics. It also gives the number of offences detected by means of a sanction detection. Statistics on court proceedings, including convictions, are a matter for the Ministry of Justice.
	Recorded crime and court proceedings statistics are recorded in quite different ways. Recorded crime data are provided on a financial year basis and counts offences whereas court proceedings data are on a calendar year basis and count offenders. Therefore, these two separate data-sets are not directly comparable.
	
		
			 Table 1: Offences under the Offences Against the Person Act 1861  (1)   recorded by the police and detected by means of a sanction detection  (2)  —2006-07 to 2009-10 
			  2006-07 2007-08 
			 Offence No. of offences No. of sanction detections % detected by means of a sanction detection No. of offences No. of sanction detections % detected by means of a sanction detection 
			 Abandoning child under two years 23 15 65 19 16 84 
			 Procuring illegal abortion 6 3 50 6 2 33 
			 Concealing an infant death close to birth 4 4 100 8 3 38 
			 Bigamy 61 37 61 74 33 45 
			 Threats to kill n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 
			 Inflicting grievous bodily harm without intent n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a n/a 
		
	
	
		
			  2008-09 2009-10 
			 Offence No. of offences No. of sanction detections % detected by means of a sanction detection No. of offences No. of sanction detections % detected by means of a sanction detection 
			 Abandoning child under two years 23 18 78 9 9 100 
			 Procuring illegal abortion 5 2 40 3 1 33 
			 Concealing an infant death close to birth 8 5 63 6 3 50 
			 Bigamy 64 40 63 60 39 65 
		
	
	
		
			 Threats to kill 9,460 3,105 33 9,566 3,120 33 
			 Inflicting grievous bodily harm without intent 17,166 6,312 37 16,507 6,502 39 
			 n/a = Not available. (1) Other offences under the Offences Against the Person Act 1861 are not separately identifiable within the police recorded crime statistics. (2) Detection rates are a ratio of crimes detected in a period to crimes recorded in a period. They are not based on tracking whether individual crimes recorded in a period have eventually been detected.

Departmental Rail Travel

Roger Godsiff: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many first class rail journeys were undertaken by staff in her Department between April 2010 and April 2011; and what the total cost was of such journeys.

Damian Green: The information is as follows:
	For the Home Office and the UK  Border Agency:
	During the period 1 April 2010 to 31 March 2011 there have been 1,018 recorded instances of first class travel at a total cost of £145,000 within the core Home Office.
	During the period 1 April 2010 to 31 March 2011 there have been 668 recorded instances of first class travel at a total cost of £53,000 within the UK Border Agency.
	In spring 2010 the Permanent Secretary issued instructions to senior managers to reduce all travel by using alternatives such as video and/or telephone conferencing and to avoid first class travel as far as possible.
	The Department has since significantly reduced first class travel throughout 2010-11. Policy on all business travel is currently under review.
	For Iden tity and Passport Service (IPS):
	During the period 1 August 2010 to 31 March 2011 there have been 14 recorded instances of first class travel at a total cost of £1,377 within the IPS.
	The Identity and Passport Service changed travel supplier in August 2010; prior to that date it is not possible to extract the information on first class travel without incurring disproportionate cost.
	Fo r Criminal Records Bureau (CRB):
	With effect from 1 May 2010 all rail journeys made by CRB staff in relation to CRB business were required to be standard class only. In the month of April 2010, prior to the implementation of this change, 50 first class rail journeys were undertaken by staff within the CRB at a cost of £13,480.

DNA: Databases

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department pursuant to the answer from the hon. Member for Suffolk Coastal of 6 December 2010, Official Report, column 99W, on the National DNA Database, what estimate she has made of the time required to remove records of unconvicted people from the National DNA Database following the enactment of the relevant legislation.

James Brokenshire: The Protection of Freedoms Bill, currently before Parliament, makes provision for the removal of DNA profiles for the majority of non-convicted persons from the National DNA Database (NDNAD), with some specific exceptions. Our aim is to remove the vast majority of non-convicted people from the NDNAD as soon as is practicable, following enactment of the relevant provisions.

Drugs

Bob Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether her Department made an assessment of the effects of drug decriminalisation in Portugal prior to the publication of the 2010 Drugs Strategy.

James Brokenshire: holding answer 5 May 2011
	The Home Office keeps sighted on international developments on drug policy. No formal assessment of the effects of drug decriminalisation in Portugal prior to the publication of the 2010 Drugs Strategy was undertaken.

Drugs: Misuse

Bob Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department 
	(1)  who will (a) lead and (b) participate in the annual review of the Government's 2010 Drugs Strategy; and what timescale she has set for the review to be conducted;
	(2)  whether the annual review of the 2010 Drugs Strategy will be carried out on a cross-departmental basis.

James Brokenshire: holding answer 5 May 2011
	We are still scoping the terms of the annual review. It will be conducted on a cross-Government basis led by the Home Office. It is likely it will report after the first full 12 months of implementation.

Drugs: Regulation

Bob Ainsworth: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what research her Department has (a) produced and (b) evaluated on the legalisation and regulation of controlled substances.

James Brokenshire: The Home Office has not (a) produced or (b) evaluated any research on the legalisation and regulation of controlled substances.

Entry Clearances: Overseas Students

Mike Weatherley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many and what proportion of foreign students have overstayed since the Certificate of Acceptance of Studies/General Student Visas system was implemented.

Damian Green: The UK Border Agency is not able to provide the information requested. It is not possible to accurately quantify the number of individuals currently in the UK in breach of immigration controls, as some deliberately evade immigration control in order to remain in the country illegally.
	The e-Borders system enables checks to be made on individuals arriving or exiting the country at a majority of the points of entry to the UK but is not yet fully rolled out. The Government are committed to ensuring that the number of UK ports undertaking exit checks is increased to ensure a complete travel history record on all passengers.

Fraud

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many instances of credit card fraud there were in each year since 1997; what estimate her Department has made of the sums lost through such fraud in each such year; and what proportion of such instances resulted in a conviction for an offence of fraud.

James Brokenshire: The information requested is not collected centrally. The Home Office recorded crime statistics cannot separately identify offences specifically relating to credit card fraud. Such offences are encompassed in a larger offence classification of “Fraud by False Representation involving Cheque, Plastic Card and Online Bank Accounts”. Since April 2010, the National Fraud Intelligence Bureau has also been recording such offences and these data will be provided to the Home Office for inclusion in the annual crime statistics.
	Figures on plastic card fraud provided by the UK Cards Association are included on page 95 of “Crime in England and Wales 2009/10”. A copy of this publication can be accessed at:
	http://www.homeoffice.gov.uk/publications/science-research-statistics/research-statistics/crime-research/hosb1210/hosb1210?view=Binary

Sex Offenders: Registration

Simon Wright: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department whether she has any plans to (a) consult on proposals to strengthen the management of sex offenders and (b) require such offenders to inform the authorities of an intention to travel abroad for a period of less than three days.

Lynne Featherstone: In the statement given by the Secretary of State for the Home Department, the right hon. Member for Maidenhead (Mrs May), to the House on 16 February 2011, Official Report, columns 959-60, she indicated that we would be consulting on proposals to further strengthen the management of sex offenders.
	We will shortly launch a targeted consultation seeking views on four key proposals to strengthen the notification requirements for registered sex offenders, including introducing a requirement for registered sex offenders to notify all foreign travel (currently only travel of three days or more is notified to the police).
	The consultation will run for an eight-week period and we anticipate that the necessary legislative changes will be in force by the end of the year, subject to parliamentary business.

Sexual Offences

Jim Cunningham: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many arrests for sexual offences were made in the West Midlands in each of the last five years.

James Brokenshire: The information requested on arrests covering the period from 2005-06 to 2009-10 (latest available) is provided in the table.
	
		
			 Number of arrests for sexual offences in West Midlands police force area, 2005-06 to 2009-10 
			 Financial year Number of arrests 
			 2005-06 932 
			 2006-07 745 
			 2007-08 703 
			 2008-09 774 
			 2009-10 755

Young People: Films

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department how many offences were recorded in respect of cinemas allowing underage children into age-rated films in each year since 1997; how many police cautions were issued; and what the average fine levied was.

James Brokenshire: Information on the number of offences recorded is not available centrally. Statistics on police cautions and disposals are a matter for the Ministry of Justice.

WORK AND PENSIONS

Disability Living Allowance

Margaret Curran: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  when he expects the results of the review into funding for the mobility needs of people in residential care to be published;
	(2)  whether people living in state-funded residential care will be eligible to receive payment of the mobility component of the personal independence payment;
	(3)  what plans he has to engage disabled people, groups and organisations in his Department's review of funding for the mobility needs of people in residential care; and if he will make a statement;
	(4)  what the terms of reference are for the review into funding for the mobility needs of people in residential care.

Maria Miller: The Government received a great deal of feedback on the proposal, announced in the spending review, to withdraw the mobility component of disability living allowance (DLA) from people in residential care homes after 28 days.
	In response to the concerns raised by individuals and organisations, we announced that we would not remove the DLA mobility component from people in residential care from October 2012 and that we would review the existing evidence and gather more to enable us to determine the extent to which there are overlaps in provision for mobility needs of people in residential care homes.
	The work is being carried out by civil servants in the Department for Work and Pensions and has included, among other things, discussions with individuals and groups of disabled people as well as with organisations which represent them. When the work is complete we will make a final decision on the way forward. We have no plans to publish the findings of this work.

Disability Living Allowance

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will estimate the change in the (a) number of claimants and (b) level of public expenditure if the number of new disability living allowance claimants were reduced by 20 per cent. each year but the benefit was unchanged in each of the next five financial years.

Maria Miller: If DLA policy were to remain unchanged for the next five years, then a reduction in inflows by 20% is estimated to have the following effect.
	
		
			 Estimated reduction in DLA expenditure 
			 Reduction in inflows  by 20% Case load (thousand) Expenditure (£ million) 
			 2011-12 30 100 
			 2012-13 70 290 
			 2013-14 120 480 
			 2014-15 160 660 
			 2015-16 200 840 
			 Notes: 1. Estimates are based on the Budget 2011 Forecasts, published at the following website: http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/asd4/index.php?page=expenditure 2. These estimates assume that no changes to DLA policy occur. However, DLA reform is planned to begin in 2013-14 with the introduction of the personal independence payment. 3. The estimates exclude any consequential effects on other benefits. 4. Expenditure is given in nominal terms. 5. Expenditure is rounded to the nearest £10 million. 6. Case load is rounded to the nearest 10,000.

Disability Living Allowance

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what proportion of medical assessments for (a) disability living allowance, (b) attendance allowance, (c) industrial injuries disablement benefit and (d) incapacity benefit have been subject to appeal in each of the last five years; and what the cost was of administering such appeals in each such year.

Maria Miller: We are unable to say what proportion of medical assessments for disability living allowance (DLA), attendance allowance (AA), industrial injuries disablement benefit (IIDB) and incapacity benefit (IB) has been subject to appeal in each of the last five years. This is because appeals can be made against all decisions and the management information systems of the Pension, Disability and Carers Service (PDCS) and Jobcentre Plus (JCP) do not go to the level of detail that would identify those appeals specifically related to medical assessments.
	Consequently, we are not able to provide the cost of administering such appeals.
	However, we are able to provide in the following table the administration costs borne by DWP for appeals.
	
		
			 £000 
			  DLA AA IIDB IB 
			 2010-11 6,546 567 — — 
			 2009-10 6,598 709 606 5,046 
			 2008-09 — — 601 6,706 
			 Notes: 1. Pension, Disability and Carers Service and Jobcentre Plus, both agencies of the Department for Work and Pensions, are only responsible for an element of the appeal process against medical assessment decisions relating to DLA, AA, IIDB and IB. The majority of the process is handled by the Tribunal Service, part of the Ministry of Justice. 2. Figures are rounded to the nearest £1,000. 3. The figures relate to the direct staff cost to Jobcentre Plus and PDCS of administering appeals. 4. Appeals costs for DLA/AA are not available prior to 2009-10. 5. Prior to 2008-09 appeals costs for Jobcentre Plus were not recorded by benefit type. 6. 2010-11 appeals costs for Jobcentre Plus are not included here as the annual report and accounts for 2010-11 are not yet audited and publicly available. Sources: Jobcentre Plus ABM Models 2006 to 2010-11. The data is correct as at 28 April 2011. PDCS: Department for Work and Pensions activity-based management system. The data is correct as at 3 May 2011.

Disability Living Allowance

Jim McGovern: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the number of claimants of disability living allowance in Scotland who are diagnosed with autism; and what assessment his Department has made of the likely effect on claimants diagnosed with autism of proposed changes to disability living allowance.

Maria Miller: The information is not available as new, more detailed details on the disabling condition were only added in 2008 and have not been applied retrospectively to the entire case load. Therefore, it is not yet possible to produce an estimate of the total number of people claiming disability living allowance with a main disabling condition of "autism". Such information as is available is in the following table.
	
		
			 Number of people in receipt of disability living allowance where the main disabling condition is learning difficulties—August 2010 
			  All Scotland 
			 All 3,176,200 346,500 
			 Learning difficulties 367,400 35,200 
			 Notes: 1. The preferred statistics on benefits are now derived from 100% data sources. However, the 5% sample data still provide some detail not yet available from the 100% data sources, in particular, more complete information on the disabling, condition of DLA claimants. DWP recommends that, where the detail is only available on the 5% sample data, or disabling condition (DLA) is required, the proportions derived should be scaled up to the overall 100% total for the benefit. This has been done here. 2. Case load figures are rounded to the nearest hundred. 3. Case load totals show the number of people in receipt of an allowance and exclude those with, entitlement where the payment has been suspended, for example if they are in hospital. 4. Learning difficulties includes the following disabling conditions: 'F86'—'Down's Syndrome', 'F87’—'Fragile X syndrome', 'F90'—'Other Learning Disability', 'F91'—'Autism', 'F92'—'Asperger Syndrome', 'F94'—'Retts Disorder'. Source: Department for Work and Pensions, Information Directorate, 5% sample. 
		
	
	From 2013 we will introduce a new benefit, personal independence payment, to replace disability living allowance for people of working age. Key to personal independence payment will be a more objective assessment of individual need. We have been developing our proposals for the new assessment in collaboration with a group of independent specialists in health, social care and disability.
	The assessment will take account of needs arising from physical, sensory, mental, intellectual and cognitive impairments. We believe it is right for the assessment to look at disabled people as individuals and not just label them by their health condition or impairment. That is why it is being designed to consider an individual's personal circumstances and the support they need, rather than basing eligibility on any medical condition. I can assure the hon. Member that we want to get this right and before finalising the assessment criteria we will be testing them and assessing their likely impact.

Disability Living Allowance

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will estimate (a) the change in the number of claimants and (b) change on the level of expenditure if the number of new disability living allowance claimants each year were reduced by (i) 10 per cent., (ii) 15 per cent., (iii) 20 per cent. and (iv) 25 per cent., but the benefit was otherwise unchanged in each of the next five financial years.

Maria Miller: If DLA policy were to remain unchanged for the next five years then a reduction in inflows by: (a) 10%; (b) 15%; (c) 20%, and; (d) 25%, are estimated to have the following effects:
	
		
			 Estimated reduction in DLA expenditure 
			   2011-12 2012-13 2013-14 2014-15 2015-16 
			 Reduction in inflows by 10% Caseload (thousand) 10 40 60 80 100 
			  Expenditure (£ million) 50 150 240 330 420 
			        
			 Reduction in inflows by 15% Caseload (thousand) 20 60 90 120 150 
			  Expenditure (£ million) 80 220 360 490 630 
			        
			 Reduction in inflows by 20% Caseload (thousand) 30 70 120 160 200 
			  Expenditure (£ million) 100 290 480 660 840 
			        
			 Reduction in inflows by 25% Caseload (thousand) 30 90 150 200 250 
			  Expenditure (£ million) 130 370 600 820 1,040 
			 Notes:  1. Estimates are based on the Budget 2011 Forecasts, published at the following website: http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/asd4/index.php?page=expenditure  2. These estimates assume that no changes to DLA policy occur. However, DLA reform is planned to begin in 2013-14 with the introduction of the Personal Independence Payment.  3. The estimates exclude any consequential effects on other benefits.  4. Expenditure is given in nominal terms.  5. Expenditure is rounded to the nearest £10 million.  6. Caseload is rounded to the nearest 10,000.

Disability Living Allowance

Margaret Curran: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions 
	(1)  what estimate he has made of the number of new claimants for personal independence payments of working age that will be assessed each week in (a) 2013-14, (b) 2014-15 and (c) 2015-16;
	(2)  what estimate he has made of the number of existing claimants of working age disability living allowance who will be reassessed for personal independence payments in each week of (a) 2013-14, (b) 2014-15 and (c) 2015-16.

Maria Miller: We are currently considering the delivery model for personal independence payment, including how to migrate those of working age who are in receipt of disability living allowance. No decisions have yet been taken on the detail of its operation and how many people will be required to go through the new assessment in each of its first three years of operation.

Disability Living Allowance

Stephen Hammond: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people in (a) Wimbledon and (b) the London borough of Merton claim disability benefit.

Maria Miller: Information on the current number of recipients of DLA which is contained in the following table:
	
		
			 Disability living allowance recipients: August 2010 
			  Number 
			 Wimbledon parliamentary constituency 2,050 
			 Merton local authority 6,040 
			 Total 3,176,200 
			 Notes: 1. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10. 2. Figures show the number of people in receipt of an allowance, and exclude people with entitlement where the payment has been suspended, for example if they are in hospital. 3. DLA figures are published at: http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/index.php?page=tabtool Source: DWP Information Directorate: Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study (WPLS) 100% data. 
		
	
	Information on the number of claims made for disability living allowance is not available by parliamentary constituency or local authority. The information is not routinely collated as there is no requirement to do so.

Disability Living Allowance

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the likely additional annual cost to the Exchequer of assessing only new claimants for personal independence payments with effect from (a) 1 April 2012, (b) 1 October 2012, (c) 1 April 2013, (d) 1 October 2013, (e) 1 April 2014 and (f) 1 October 2014 in respect of each of the subsequent five financial years.

Maria Miller: The annual cost of administering personal independence payment will depend on the detail of how the benefit is delivered and the design of the new assessment. Costs will be refined as further detail on the reform is developed. Approximate high level delivery costs (both one off investment and DEL) have been estimated to be £675 million (net present value) over the period 2011-12 to 2015-16. These include provision for making changes to the IT systems, training DWP staff, the administrative effort required to manage the transition of existing recipients to the new system and the cost of trained independent assessors undertaking the new assessment.
	We are unable to estimate the cost of administering the personal independence payment for new claimants as the information is not available. It will depend on the detail of how it is delivered and the design of the new objective assessment; the result of the consultation exercise will help inform this. Costs will be refined as further detail on the reform is developed. The Government will set out further detail at the earliest appropriate point.

Disability Living Allowance

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the likely reduction in (a) the number of benefit recipients and (b) the level of Government expenditure attributable introducing personal independence payments only for new claimants with effect from (i) 1 April 2012, (ii) 1 October 2012, (iii) 1 April 2013, (iv) 1 October 2013, (v) 1 April 2014 and (vi) 1 October 2014 in respect of each of the subsequent five financial years.

Maria Miller: Support in personal independence payment will be on those who face the greatest challenges in living independent lives. The assessment is being developed and at this stage, therefore, an assessment is not available of the impact changes could have on future recipients or Government expenditure. We are working with disabled people, and organisations that represent them on the detailed design and delivery of personal independence payment. The outcomes from this work will be reflected in updates to the impact assessment for this change. We have already announced that personal independence payment will be a non taxable, non means-tested benefit payable to people in and out of work.

Disability Living Allowance: Public Finance

Pamela Nash: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what estimate he has made of the weekly cost to the public purse of payments of disability living allowance in Airdrie and Shotts constituency in the latest period for which figures are available.

Maria Miller: In 2009-10, expenditure on disability living allowance in Airdrie and Shotts constituency averaged £600,000 per week(1).
	Constituency-level benefit expenditure information is published on the internet at:
	http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/asd4/pc_expenditure.xls
	(1) Source:
	DWP statistical and accounting data.

Disability Living Allowance: Scotland

Pamela Nash: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what his estimate is of the average change in the monetary value of disability living allowance paid to claimants in Airdrie and Shotts constituency as a result of the consumer prices index replacing the retail prices index for the uprating of benefits and tax credits in 2011-12.

Maria Miller: We believe that the CPI is the most appropriate measure of the general level of prices for benefit and pension uprating. It is the headline measure of inflation in Great Britain, and has a basket of goods and methodology suitable to be used across uprating.
	The information requested is in the following table.
	
		
			 Rate of DLA 2011-12 projected rates uprated by  RPI (£) 2011-12 actual rates uprated by CPI (£) 
			 Highest care 73.60 73.60 
			 Middle care 49.25 49.30 
			 Lowest care 19.50 19.55 
			 Higher mobility 51.35 51,40 
			 Lower mobility 19.50 19.55 
			 Note: Actual 2011-12 rates are calculated by adding CPI (3.1%) to 2010-11 rates. These in turn were 1.5% higher than 2009-10 rates. Under the previous policy, in order to recover the 1.5% advance in 2010/11 (when the RPI figure driving uprating was negative), 2011-12 rates would have been 2009-10 rates plus RPI (4.6%), yielding a slightly lower figure. All calculations are rounded to the nearest 5p.

Disability Living Allowance: Scotland

Pamela Nash: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many recipients of disability living allowance in Airdrie and Shotts constituency will be subject to objective assessment in 2011-12.

Maria Miller: From 2013 disability living allowance for people of working age will be replaced by personal independence payment, a new, more transparent and sustainable benefit with an objective assessment if individual need. We will begin reassessing working-age individuals in receipt of DLA using the new objective assessment for personal independence payment from 2013.
	Until 2013, new claims to DLA and changes of current DAL claims will continue to be assessed using the current self-assessment led process.
	In 2010-11 there were around 30,000 face-to-face medical examinations conducted across Great Britain to help determine eligibility for DLA, at new claim and renewal of awards. We are unable to provide an estimate for the number of face-to-face medical assessments expected to take place in Airdrie and Shotts in 2011-12.

Electronic Exchange of Social Security Information Project

Martin Vickers: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how much his Department has spent on the Electronic Exchange of Social Security Information Project to date; and what estimate has been made of the likely cost of maintaining and administering the system in 2011-12.

Chris Grayling: The DWP Electronic Exchange of Social Security Information (EESSI) project has encompassed the delivery of all changes required for compliance with European Union (EU) regulation 883/04, which came into effect on 1 May 2010 and continues with the associated implementation of regulation 987/09 for the electronic coordination of social security systems.
	For the Department for Work and Pensions this has involved impacting all of the regulations against existing business activities and implementing the appropriate changes to IT systems, processes, procedures, guidance and employee training to meet the requirements of the new regulations.
	The cost of delivering these changes to date is approximately £1 million.
	The aspect of the regulation which directly relates to the introduction of Electronic Exchange of Social Security data is article 4(2) of regulation 987/09. This work is ongoing and we are awaiting confirmation from suppliers of the costs associated with the development of the proposed new system. Costs are dependant on receiving clarity on the final scope of the IT solution being provided by the central European Union EESSI project. When the final scope and solution is clear, the associated costs for maintaining the DWP system will be determined. The scheduled go-live date for the IT solution, in order to meet the EU regulation date for compliance, is 1 May 2012.

Employment and Support Allowance

Bob Stewart: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the criteria are for the placement of employment and support allowance claimants in the work-related activity group.

Chris Grayling: A key factor in determining eligibility for employment and support allowance (ESA) is the work capability assessment (WCA), which is used to determine a claimant's capability for work. It looks at different areas related to physical, mental, cognitive and intellectual functions alongside additional criteria that do not directly measure function (such as terminal illness).
	An individual assessed as having limited capability for work will be placed in the WRAG group and will be expected to undertake some work-related activity with a view to moving into employment in the short to medium term.
	Individuals with the most severe health conditions or disabilities will be assessed as having limited capability for work and limited capability for work related activity. As result, they will be placed in the support group and will not be expected to undertake work-related activity, although they can do so if they wish. It would not be realistic to expect them to move towards employment in the short-term.
	A determination of entitlement to benefit is made by a DWP decision maker, based on advice from a healthcare professional and any other available evidence (such as provided by the individual's GP or specialist).

Employment Schemes: Cancer

Laurence Robertson: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the number of cancer patients who return to work (a)  within and (b) after a year from starting treatment; and if he will make a statement.

Maria Miller: The information requested is not available.
	The Department only holds information on people with cancer if they claim a benefit such as employment and support allowance (ESA), and information on the date that treatment started is not collected.
	For information, at August 2010 there were 21,530 people claiming ESA where the main condition was recorded as ‘Neoplasms’ which is the category in which cancer patients would normally be classified. For a full breakdown by condition please see the detailed medical condition breakdown publication on the ad hoc statistics website:
	http://statistics.dwp.gov.uk/asd/index.php?page =adhoc_analysis
	Statistics on the number of people leaving ESA and going into work are not available from administrative data. Claimants leaving employment support allowance are not required to inform the Department of their destinations and hence the information that is collected is incomplete and not robust enough for publication.
	For information, a recent survey on ESA (“Employment and Support Allowance: Findings from a face-to-face survey of customers”) recorded that around 41% of participants who left ESA before completing assessment, and 13% of participants who left having been assessed as fit for work, had then moved into some form of employment. However, this is not broken down by health condition. See sections 5.2.1 and 5.3.1 of the survey report for further details:
	http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/asd5/rports2009-2010/rrep707.pdf

Employment Schemes: Voluntary Organisations

Ann McKechin: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether contracts for the Work programme contain any provision to encourage successful bidders to sub-contract to not-for-profit entities.

Chris Grayling: The procurement rules preclude us from favouring any sector or stipulating quotas for particular groups, either for prime bids or within the delivery chain, in respect of Work programme contracts under the Employment Related Support Services Framework. However, throughout the procurement process, The Department for Work and Pensions (DWP) has encouraged bidders to engage with the voluntary and community sector.
	As part of the evaluation, DWP has closely scrutinised each bidder's partnership proposals within their tenders, particularly when considering the supply chain and service requirement criteria, to ensure that the level of community and voluntary sector involvement is commensurate with the needs of Work programme customers.
	Across all the bids there were varying levels of input from the voluntary and community sector, numbering well over 300 in total. In addition to these there was also a wide range of SMEs.
	Further voluntary and community sector organisations are involved as there are a wide range of ad-hoc/specialist providers to meet the needs of all customers on the programme.

Employment Schemes: Voluntary Organisations

Ann McKechin: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what provisions are contained in Work programme contracts in respect of terms and remuneration for voluntary sector sub-contractors who undertake work on behalf of the successful bidders.

Chris Grayling: There are no provisions in the Work programme terms and conditions that cover specific terms or remuneration that prime contractors should apply only to voluntary sector sub-contractors. The Work programme contract sets out a number of standard clauses (such as confidentiality agreements, data protection requirements, prevention of corruption etc) which prime contractors are required to include in all sub-contracts.
	Prime contractors are likely, to seek to mirror the call-off terms and conditions, they have signed up to with DWP, with their own sub-contractors. Whatever contractual arrangements the prime contractors do propose to have in place should be implemented at their discretion and based on their own commercial decisions.
	Where DWP has consented to sub-contracting taking place, the prime contractors must adhere to the Merlin Standard and accreditation process as detailed in the work programme specification to ensure fair treatment of all subcontractors.

Health: Young People

Margaret Curran: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Education on the provision of support to children and young people with long-term health conditions.

Maria Miller: In January, the Prime Minister hosted a meeting with the Minister of State for Children and Families, the hon. Member for Brent Central (Sarah Teather), the Minister for Public Health, the hon. Member for Guildford (Anne Milton), and myself, to discuss the planned special education needs and disability Green Paper.
	I have had discussions with the Minister of State for Children and Families about the best approach to exploring a single assessment process and education, health and social care plans as mentioned in the special education needs and disability Green Paper, and I have also agreed to explore whether the single assessment process might also be used to support claims for disability living allowance and personal independence payment.
	Officials from the Office for Disability Issues and the Department for Work and Pensions are in regular contact with their counterparts in the Department for Education as work on the special education needs and disability Green Paper progresses. I look forward to seeing the outcomes of the SEN and D Green Paper consultation and to working with colleagues across Government to ensure disabled young people are appropriately supported to enter and remain in work.
	In addition, I have hosted two round tables recently—one with parents of disabled children to discuss the SEN and D Green Paper, which was attended by representatives from the Department for Education; and the other with various representatives from, for example, social services, Mencap, and local authorities where we discussed transition from education to employment for people with learning disabilities. This event was attended by representatives from the Department of Health.

Health: Young People

Margaret Curran: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment his Department has made of the effects of raising the participation age on the availability of benefits for young people with long-term health conditions.

Maria Miller: The Department is aware of the changes to the school participation age and will make any necessary changes to the eligibility rules of benefits for young people with health conditions that may be required as a result.

Housing Benefit

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people aged 25 years or under claimed housing benefit in each year for which figures are available since 2005.

Steve Webb: The available information is in the following table. Information prior to November 2008 is not available.
	
		
			 Housing benefit recipients in Great Britain aged 25 and under, as at the dates shown 
			  Number 
			 November 2008 383,240 
			 January 2009 397,940 
			 January 2010 476,670 
			 January 2011 488,830 
			 Notes: 1. The data refers to benefit units, which may be a single person or a couple. 2. Recipients are as at second Thursday of the month. 3. SHBE is a monthly electronic scan of claimant level data direct from local authority computer systems. It replaces quarterly aggregate clerical returns. The data is available monthly from November 2008 and January 2011 is the most recent available. 4. Age breakdowns cannot be provided prior to November 2008. Source: Single Housing Benefit Extract (SHBE).

Housing Benefit

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what the average time taken to process a claim for (a) housing and (b) council tax benefit was in each of the last five years.

Steve Webb: The requested information is in the table.
	
		
			 Average days to process new housing benefit and council tax benefit claims 
			  Housing benefit Council tax benefit 
			 2006-07 33 33 
			 2007-08 27 26 
			 2008-09 n/a n/a 
			 2009-10 25 25 
			 2010-11 22 23 
			 Notes: 1. Figures for 2008-09 are not available. 2. 2010-11 figures are a year to date figure based on the first three quarters—quarter 4 data is not published until 27 July 2011. 3. Figures have been rounded to the nearest day. 4. Average lime for processing claims is measured in calendar days across all new claims for which the date of decision falls within the quarter. The time for each claim is measured from the day the claim is received by the local authority to the day a full decision is made on the claim.

Incapacity Benefit

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many (a) males and (b) females aged (i) 18 to 29, (ii) 30 to 39, (iii) 40 to 49 and (iv) 50 to 59 years claimed incapacity benefit in each of the last seven years for which information is available; and how many males aged 60 to 65 years claimed incapacity benefit in each London borough in each of the last seven years for which information is available.

Chris Grayling: The information requested is as follows:
	
		
			 Table 1: Incapacity benefit/severe disablement allowance: by age and gender time series, Great Britain and abroad 
			  August 2004 August 2005 August 2006 August 2007 
			 Age group Female Male Female Male Female Male Female Male 
			 18-29 142,140 183,070 140,070 177,270 138,360 174,000 141,380 175,460 
			 30-39 210,840 287,930 202,790 276,280 196,270 264,580 190,400 255,030 
			 40-49 312,520 350,630 315,010 350,600 317,810 350,920 321,460 351,970 
			 50-59 465,750 486,360 465,770 472,910 463,700 459,160 450,820 437,770 
		
	
	
		
			  August 2008 August 200  9 August 2010 
			 Age group Female Male Female Male Female Male 
			 18-29 139,660 173,360 103,700 129,050 83,180 103,120 
			 30-39 183,190 244,360 154,430 203,150 135,600 175,760 
			 40-49 322,370 352,140 289,060 315,900 263,650 290,210 
			 50-59 442,080 425,250 403,940 380,360 374,600 348,800 
		
	
	
		
			 Table 2: Employment and support allowance: by age and gender time series, Great Britain and abroad 
			  August 2009 August 2010 
			 Age group Female Male Female Male 
			 18-29 36,530 53,230 53,690 73,780 
			 30-39 30,240 43,890 47,390 64,380 
			 40-49 45,940 49,630 74,090 75,610 
			 50-59 41,550 49,240 66,580 74,580 
		
	
	
		
			 Table 3: Incapacity benefit/severe disablement allowance: Men aged 60 to 65, London local authorities time series 
			  August 
			  2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 
			 City of London 20 20 20 30 20 20 20 
			 Barking and Dagenham 780 740 750 700 720 670 670 
			 Barnet 880 840 870 880 870 850 790 
			 Bexley 740 740 720 740 750 670 610 
			 Brent 1,150 1,130 1,060 1,020 990 970 890 
			 Bromley 790 820 860 870 810 720 690 
			 Camden 820 790 790 760 790 760 750 
			 Croydon 1,010 980 980 980 980 920 880 
			 Ealing 1,260 1,190 1,150 1,140 1,060 1,050 1,000 
			 Enfield 1,120 1,090 1,030 1,030 1,010 950 900 
			 Greenwich 900 890 850 880 860 800 750 
			 Hackney 1,040 1,010 970 920 920 860 840 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham 620 600 590 590 580 570 580 
			 Haringey 930 880 860 830 810 790 770 
			 Harrow 670 650 620 600 580 510 480 
			 Havering 890 840 850 870 840 740 700 
			 Hillingdon 800 790 790 770 760 700 680 
			 Hounslow 860 810 780 730 760 730 710 
			 Islington 960 880 830 810 800 750 750 
			 Kensington and Chelsea 480 460 460 430 440 400 420 
			 Kingston upon Thames 350 340 340 330 320 310 300 
			 Lambeth 1,040 990 970 920 880 810 790 
			 Lewisham 940 920 890 830 840 830 790 
			 Merton 520 500 510 480 490 460 440 
			 Newham 1,190 1,100 1,060 1,020 970 900 830 
			 Redbridge 920 870 870 870 820 770 710 
			 Richmond upon Thames 360 340 350 370 370 330 310 
			 Southwark 1,030 1,020 1,000 960 940 900 890 
			 Sutton 490 460 480 450 470 440 410 
			 Tower Hamlets 970 860 810 780 760 730 720 
			 Waltham Forest 950 910 880 870 840 760 700 
			 Wandsworth 840 810 770 770 760 750 720 
		
	
	
		
			 City of Westminster 760 700 670 650 630 610 640 
		
	
	
		
			 Table 4: Employment and support allowance: Men aged 60 to 65, London local authorities time series 
			  August 2009 August   2010 
			 City of London — — 
			 Barking and Dagenham 30 50 
			 Barnet 40 80 
			 Bexley 60 80 
			 Brent 60 90 
			 Bromley 40 70 
			 Camden 20 30 
			 Croydon 60 80 
			 Ealing 50 90 
			 Enfield 50 70 
			 Greenwich 50 70 
			 Hackney 30 50 
			 Hammersmith and Fulham 20 40 
			 Haringey 30 50 
			 Harrow 40 50 
			 Havering 70 100 
			 Hillingdon 50 70 
			 Hounslow 50 70 
			 Islington 30 40 
			 Kensington and Chelsea 10 10 
			 Kingston upon Thames 20 40 
			 Lambeth 40 50 
			 Lewisham 40 60 
			 Merton 30 70 
			 Newham 50 70 
			 Redbridge 50 80 
			 Richmond upon Thames 20 20 
			 Southwark 40 50 
			 Sutton 30 50 
			 Tower Hamlets 20 50 
			 Waltham Forest 40 60 
			 Wandsworth 40 60 
			 City of Westminster 30 30 
			 “—” denotes nil or negligible. Notes: 1. Figures are rounded to the nearest 10. Totals may not sum due to rounding.  2. Incapacity benefit was replaced by employment support allowance (ESA) for most new claims from October 2008.  Source:  DWP Information Directorate 100% WPLS.

Incapacity Benefit

David Ruffley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what proportion of claimants of incapacity benefit were aged over (a) 40, (b) 50, (c) 55, (d) 60 and (e) 65 in each of the last seven years.

Chris Grayling: The information requested is shown in the following tables.
	
		
			 Number and percentage of incapacity benefit/severe disablement allowance claimants by age group—Great Britain and abroad 
			  As at August: 
			  2004 2005 2006 2007 
			 Age Case load %  of case toad Case load %  of case load Case load %  of case load Case load %  of case load 
			 All 2,817,010 — 2,767,740' — 2,724,980 — 2,683,160 — 
			 40-49 663,140 23.5 665,610 24.0 668,720 24.5 673,430 25.1 
			 50-54 405,950 14.4 396,110 14.3 390,820 14.3 390,110 14.5 
			 55-59 546,160 19.4 542,570 19.6 532,040 19.5 498,470 18.6 
			 60-64 338,890 12.0 329,010 11.9 323,290 11.9 321,980 12.0 
			 Over 65 28,080 1.0 28,890 1.0 29,590 1.1 30,340 1.1 
		
	
	
		
			  As at August: 
			  2008 2009 2010 
			 Age Case load %  of case load Case load %  of case load Case load %  of case load 
			 All 2,632,000 — 2,299,580 — 2,082,570 — 
			 40-49 674,510 25.6 604,960 26.3 553,860 26.6 
			 50-54 389,320 14.8 356,510 15.5 333,050 16.0 
			 55-59 478,010 18.2 427,780 18,6 ' 390,350 18.7 
			 60-64 312,800 11.9 287,030 12.5 276,220 13.3 
			 Over 65 30,730 1.2 31,130 1.4 31,250 1.5 
		
	
	
		
			 Number and percentage of employment and support allowance claimants by age group—Great Britain and abroad 
			  August 2009 August 2010 
			 Age Case load %   of case load Case load %   of case load 
			 All 374,440 — 563,980 — 
			 40-49 95,570 25.5 149,700 26.5 
			 50-54 45,060 12.0 71,390 12.7 
			 55-59 45,730 12.2 69,760 12.4 
			 60-64 19,900 5.3 28,870 5.1 
		
	
	
		
			 Over 65 320 0.1 420 0.1 
			 Notes: 1. Case load figures are rounded to the nearest 10. 2. Totals may not sum due to rounding. 3. Incapacity benefit was replaced by employment support allowance (ESA) from October 2008. 4. Although in general incapacity benefits apply to people of working age, a small number of claimants are over state pension age. Source: DWP Information Directorate: Work and Pensions Longitudinal Study

Jobseeker’s Allowance

Julie Elliott: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many people in Sunderland had been in receipt of jobseeker’s allowance for more than a year in each of the last three years.

Nick Hurd: I have been asked to reply.
	The information requested falls within the responsibility of the UK Statistics Authority. I have asked the authority to reply.
	Letter from Stephen Penneck, dated 6 May 2011
	As Director General for the Office for National Statistics, I have been asked to reply to your Parliamentary Question asking how many people in Sunderland had been in receipt of jobseeker’s allowance for more than a year in each of the last 3 years. (54390)
	The Office for National Statistics (ONS) compiles the number of claimants of Jobseeker’s Allowance (JSA) from the Jobcentre Plus administrative system.
	Table 1 shows the number of persons resident in Sunderland who were in receipt of JSA for more than a year for March of each of the last 3 years.
	National and local area estimates for many labour market statistics, including employment, unemployment and claimant count are available on the NOMIS website at:
	http://www.nomisweb.co.uk
	
		
			 Table.1: Number of people in Sunderland in receipt of jobseeker’s allowance for more than a year 
			 As at March: Number 
			 2009 770 
			 2010 1,555 
			 2011 680 
			 Note: Data rounded to nearest 5. Source: Jobcentre Plus administrative system

Pension Credit

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will estimate the number of pensioners eligible to receive pension credit who are not in receipt of pension credit.

Steve Webb: In 2008-09 it is estimated that there were between 980,000 and 1.60 million entitled non-recipients of pension credit in Great Britain. These are the latest estimates and are taken from the National Statistics publication, Income Related Benefits: Estimates of Take-Up 2008-09. The publication is available online at:
	http://research.dwp.gov.uk/asd/index.php?page=irb

Personal Independence Payments

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will estimate the additional annual cost to the Exchequer of assessing only new claimants for personal independence payments compared to existing expenditure on the administration of disability living allowance in each of the five financial years from 2012-13.

Maria Miller: The annual cost of administering personal independence payment will depend on the detail of how the benefit is delivered and the design of the new assessment. Costs will be refined as further detail on the reform is developed. Approximate high level delivery costs (both one off investment and DEL) have been estimated to be £675 million (net present value) over the period 2011-12 to 2015-16. These include provision for making changes to the IT systems, training DWP staff, the administrative effort required to manage the transition of existing recipients to the new system and the cost of trained independent assessors undertaking the new assessment.
	We are unable to estimate the cost of administering the personal independence payment in 2013-14 or 2014-15 as the information is not available. It will depend on the detail of how it is delivered and the design of the new objective assessment; the result of the current consultation exercise will help inform this. Costs will be refined as further detail on the reform is developed. The Government will set out further detail at the earliest appropriate point.

Personal Independence Payments

Stephen Timms: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will estimate the change in the (a) number of benefit recipients and (b) level of public expenditure if the personal independence payment were introduced for new claimants only in each of the next five financial years.

Maria Miller: Support in personal independence payment will be focused on those who face the biggest barriers to independent living. The assessment is being developed and an assessment is not available of the changes for future recipients. We are working with disabled people and organisations that represent them on the detailed design and delivery of personal independence payment and the outcomes from this work will be reflected in updates to the impact assessment for this change. We have already announced that personal independence payment will be a non taxable, non means-tested benefit payable to people in and out of work.

Remploy

Hywel Francis: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what recent discussions he has had with Remploy to ensure that adults with (a) autism and (b) Down's syndrome are given training and work opportunities; and if he will make a statement.

Maria Miller: I have had many discussions with Remploy on a range of issues concerning supporting people with various disabilities into work.
	Remploy delivers Work Choice and operates a wide range of services designed to enhance the employment opportunities available to people with both autism and Down's syndrome, including CV development, vocational skills development, job specific training, confidence building and one to one job search support.
	Specific examples of the work that Remploy are involved in include:
	A European Social Fund contract to improve the skills for learning and future employment of 14 to 19-year-olds with complex barriers, including people with ASD and learning disabilities such as Down's syndrome. This contract operates in Neath Port Talbot, Caerphilly, Torfaen, Bridgend, Merthyr Tydfil, Rhondda Cynon Taff, Pembrokeshire, Carmarthenshire and Swansea local authority areas.
	Working with the National Autistic Society (NAS) to increase the number of people with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) entering and maintaining sustainable employment. More than 400 Employment Services staff have received ASD awareness training, helping them to deliver more effective employment support to people with ASD. Remploy and NAS have also developed a tool which identifies learning disabilities and autism traits, enabling the development of individual Person Centred Plans which help overcome specific barriers to employment presented by autism and learning disabilities.

Remploy: Voluntary Redundancy

Chris Evans: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many former employees of Remploy who took voluntary redundancy in the last 10 years went on to (a) full-time and (b) part-time employment.

Maria Miller: Responsibility for data regarding past employees lies with Remploy. I understand that they do not routinely hold information about their ex-employees. It is therefore not possible to provide detailed information about the proportion of people formerly employed at Remploy factories taking voluntary redundancy over the last 10 years, who have found full-time or part-time employment.
	The majority of employees who took voluntary redundancy from the company in the last 10 years did so under Remploy's Modernisation Plan in 2007 and 2008, which was agreed and set up by the previous Administration.
	In 2008 Remploy conducted a survey among the 1,800 former employees who had taken voluntary redundancy, to which 650 responded. As this represents only around one-third of the total, the results cannot be used to draw conclusions about the group as a whole. This showed that 19% of those who responded were in work. Of the remaining:
	33% were actively looking for work;
	42% had taken retirement;
	12% would look for work in the future; and
	13% were carers, in education or training, did not want work or whose status was unspecified.
	194 ex-employees accepted Remploy's offer of support to find another job and 134 found jobs at that time.

Retirement: Public Sector

Daniel Poulter: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what assessment he has made of the merits of maintaining the current retirement age for public sector workers who have been in employment of a physical nature.

Danny Alexander: I have been asked to reply.
	In its final report the Independent Public Service Pensions Commission, chaired by Lord Hutton, recommended that the Government consider a new normal pension age of 60 across the uniformed services to reflect the unique characteristics of the work involved, to be kept under regular review.
	At Budget 2011 the Government announced that they accepted Lord Hutton's recommendations as a basis for consultation with public sector workers, trade unions and others. The Government will set out proposals that are affordable, sustainable, and fair to both the public sector work force and the taxpayer.

Social Fund

Guto Bebb: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions whether he plans to localise all elements of the Social Fund; and if he will make a statement.

Steve Webb: Our plans for reform of the Social Fund are summarised in the following table:
	
		
			 Current provision Provision from April 2013 Administration in Great Britain from 2013 
			 Cold weather payments As now. universal credit will become a qualifying benefit Department for Work Pensions 
			 Funeral payments As now. universal credit will become a qualifying benefit Department for Work Pensions 
			 Sure Start maternity grants As now. universal credit will become a qualifying benefit Department for Work Pensions 
			 Winter fuel payments As now Department for Work Pensions 
			 Budgeting loans As now for existing income-related benefits. Payments on account replacement provision available to eligible universal credit recipients Department for Work Pensions 
			 Community care grants Abolished and replaced with locally-based provision English local authorities. Devolved Administrations in Scotland and Wales 
		
	
	
		
			 Crisis loan alignment payments Replaced with payments on account of benefit. The new payments on account will also replace interim payments of benefit so there is a single system of payments Department for Work Pensions 
			 Crisis loans for general living expenses Abolished and replaced with locally-based provision English local authorities. Devolved administrations in Scotland and Wales

Social Fund

John Leech: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions for which types of goods and services his Department provided community care grants in the latest period for which figures are available.

Steve Webb: The information available is as follows:
	Types of goods and services provided through community care grants in 2009-10 in Great Britain
	Cooker
	Bed
	Floor covering
	Miscellaneous household items
	Washing machine
	Bedding
	Home improvements and maintenance
	Redecoration
	Removal expenses
	Rent in advance
	Travelling expenses
	Clothing and footwear
	Fuel/meter /reconnection
	Leisure items
	Pre-adoption fees
	Others
	CCG home leave expenses
	Miscellaneous.
	Note
	Some categories of goods and services account for nil or negligible numbers of items awarded, these categories have been excluded from the above list.
	Source
	DWP Social Fund Policy, Budget and Management Information System

Social Fund

John Leech: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how many and what proportion of community care grants were awarded to single people or couples without children in the most recent period for which figures are available.

Steve Webb: The information is not available. Records on the Social Fund computer system do not routinely include information on the applicant's marital status or the number of children they have and the information is not collated as Management Information therefore we are unable to report on this.

Social Security Benefits

Karen Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions how his Department reached the calculation that 70 per cent. of households affected by the proposed overall cap on benefit entitlement will be in social housing.

Steve Webb: The costing model used to estimate the effects of the benefit cap uses DWP's Policy Simulation Model (PSM), which is a static microsimulation model based on data from the 2008-09 Family Resources Survey, uprated to the relevant year's prices, benefit rates and earnings levels.
	Household total benefit income is calculated, and where applicable capped at the appropriate level. Whether a household lives in social housing can then be identified based on the underlying Family Resources Survey data.

Universal Credit

Karen Buck: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions if he will estimate the level at which maximum allowable child care costs would need to be set in universal credit in order to cover up to (a) 80 per cent., (b) 70 per cent. and (c) 60 per cent. of child care costs assuming overall spending remains the same as in the present system.

Maria Miller: We have announced that support for child care costs will be provided in universal credit by an additional element, and that we aim to extend support to those working fewer than 16 hours. We have also announced during the Commons Committee stage of the Welfare Reform Bill that we intend to discuss with stakeholders the options for delivering this within the existing financial envelope for child care costs in the current tax credit and benefit system. The maximum allowable child care costs under different options will be a key factor in those discussions, which will take place over the coming weeks.

Work Capability Assessment

Joan Walley: To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions what recent progress has been made on implementing the recommendations of the Harrington review into work capability assessments; what plans he has for the implementation of such recommendations in the West Midlands; and if he will make a statement.

Chris Grayling: The administration of Jobcentre Plus is a matter for the chief executive of Jobcentre Plus, Darra Singh. I have asked him to provide the hon. Member with the information requested.
	Letter from Darra Singh
	The Secretary of State for Work and Pensions has asked me to reply to your question asking what recent progress has been made on implementing the recommendations of the Harrington review into work capability assessments and what plans he has for the implementation of such recommendations in the West Midlands. This is something that falls within the responsibilities delegated to me as Chief Executive of Jobcentre Plus.
	Following his review of the work capability assessment in 2010 Professor Harrington made 14 recommendations to be implemented by Jobcentre Plus, by Atos Healthcare or jointly by both organisations. Considerable progress has been made in implementing these recommendations. Many are now incorporated into the processes to support the reassessment of Incapacity Benefit cases nationally. Plans are in place to extend this to include Employment and Support Allowance cases. Details of progress in all 14 recommendations have been placed in the Library.

TREASURY

Banking

Sajid Javid: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will estimate the net liabilities of British banks to public and private sector entities in (a) Greece, (b) Portugal, (c) Ireland and (d) Spain on the most recent date for which information is available.

Mark Hoban: Data on external assets and liabilities of all monetary financial institutions operating in the UK are available on the Bank of England website at:
	http://www.bankofengland.co.uk/statistics/bankstats/current/tabc3.2.xls
	In its latest Financial Stability Report (December 2010), the Bank of England published UK banking sector claims on public and private sector entities in Greece, Portugal, Ireland and Spain. This information can be found one the following website:
	http://www.bankofengland.co.uk/publications/fsr/2010/fsr28.htm

Debts: Developing Countries

Frank Field: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether he has had discussions with his (a) EU and (b) UN counterparts on multilateral agreements to prevent funds which invest in debt from pursuing excessive claims against developing countries.

Mark Hoban: Treasury Ministers and officials have discussions with a wide variety of organisations in the public and private sectors as part of the process of policy development and delivery.
	The Government have decided to make the Debt Relief (Developing Countries) Act 2010 permanent. The draft Order was laid before Parliament on 28 March 2011.

Departmental Buildings

Luciana Berger: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what the (a) name and (b) address is of each building owned by his Department; and what the estimated monetary value is of each such building.

Justine Greening: The Treasury owns a single building at 1 Horse Guards Road. The net book value of the building was £74,438,000 at 31 March 2010 as shown in Note 11 to the Department’s Resource Accounts available from:
	www.hm-treasury.gov.uk

Departmental Mobile Phones

Mike Freer: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many officials in his Department are provided with mobile communication devices; and how much his Department spent on mobile telephones and related data services in the last year for which figures are available.

Justine Greening: Currently there are 477 active mobile devices provided to the HM Treasury officials, in line with the Department's published Mobile Communications Policy.
	Costs for mobile devices for financial year 2010-11 were £135,743.79.

Economic Forecasting

Bernard Jenkin: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer how many staff in the Office of Budget Responsibility are employed to undertake economic forecasting; and how many of them previously worked in his Department.

Justine Greening: The information requested falls within the responsibility of the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR), and I have asked the OBR to reply.
	Letter from Robert Chote, dated 31 March 2001
	As Chair of the Budget Responsibility Committee of the Office for Budget Responsibility (OBR) I have been asked to reply to your recent question.
	At the establishment of the permanent OBR, four members of HM Treasury staff were transferred to the OBR to undertake economic forecasting. The transfer was conducted under the processes governing machinery of government changes.
	We have also recruited a further member of staff to conduct economic forecasting via an external competition process. That staff member has not previously worked at HM Treasury.

Insolvency

John Mann: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what discussions he has had with RBS and Lloyds TSB on their use of insolvency practitioners in the last 12 months.

Mark Hoban: The Chancellor has discussions with the Royal Bank of Scotland and Lloyds Banking Group, as he does with other organisations. As was the case with previous Administrations, the Government do not disclose details of all such meetings and discussions.

Nuclear Power Stations: Environment Protection

Martin Horwood: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate has been made of the additional revenue that will accrue to existing nuclear power station operators as a result of the carbon price support proposals announced in the 2011 Budget.

Justine Greening: The carbon price floor announced in the Budget is intended to create economic incentives toward low-carbon electricity generation and away from high-carbon generation. All types of low-carbon technologies will be incentivised by the price floor. The impact on utility companies' profitability will depend on the overall composition of their generation portfolios and future investment decisions.
	The existing nuclear sector is likely to benefit by an average of £50 million per annum to 2030 due to higher wholesale electricity prices. Similarly, the renewable energy sector is expected to benefit by an average of at least £25 million a year to 2030.

Pensions: Public Sector

Rachel Reeves: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what assessment he has made of the likely changes in opt-out rates for public sector pension schemes as a result of an increase in the contribution rate.

Danny Alexander: holding answer 28 April 2011 
	The spending review 2010 announced that the Government will implement progressive changes to the level of employee contributions equivalent to an average of three percentage points, to be phased in from April 2012.
	The costing for this measure was scrutinised by the independent Office for Budget Responsibility, and assumed an increase in the opt-out rate equal to 1% of total pay bill.

Social Enterprises

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will exempt social enterprises from the exclusion of feed-in tariffs businesses from the Enterprise Investment Scheme and venture capital trusts.

David Gauke: Legislation will be introduced in Finance Bill 2012 providing that companies whose trade consists wholly or substantially in the receipt of feed-in tariffs will only be eligible for the Enterprise Investment Scheme or Venture Capital Trusts where commercial electricity generation commences before 6 April 2012. The change will not apply to any shares issued before 23 March 2011.
	This change is designed to improve the focus of the schemes on smaller, higher risk companies. Draft legislation will be published for consultation before it is implemented.

Social Security Benefits: EU Nationals

Martin Vickers: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate his Department has made of the amount transferred in social security payment transfers under the provisions of EU Regulation No 1408/71 in each of the last 10 years.

Chris Grayling: I have been asked to reply.
	I will let the hon. Member have such information as is available as soon as possible.

Stamp Duty Land Tax

Ben Gummer: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer whether his Department has considered the merits of transferring the duty to pay house sale stamp duty tax from the purchaser to the vendor.

Justine Greening: Stamp Duty Land Tax (SDLT) is a transaction tax payable by the purchaser on the acquisition of an interest in land or property in the UK.
	Stamp Duty Land Tax policy, like that of all taxes, is kept under review through the normal Budget process.

Taxation: Offshore Industry

Lindsay Roy: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer what estimate he has made of the change in levels of employment resulting from the proposals in the 2011 Budget relating to the taxation of North Sea oil and gas companies.

Justine Greening: As set out in the relevant Tax Information and Impact Note, available online at:
	http://www.hmrc.gov.uk/budget2011/tiin6133.htm
	the Government do not expect a significant impact on investment or production in the forecast period as a consequence of this measure, and therefore the impact on employment levels should not be significant.

Taxation: Tourists

Philip Davies: To ask the Chancellor of the Exchequer if he will assess the potential effects on tourism in seaside towns of proposed changes in the taxation arrangements for seaside arcades from amusement machine licence duty to machine games duty; and if he will make a statement.

Justine Greening: The Government are seeking further input from industry on machine games duty, and a formal consultation will be issued soon.

CABINET OFFICE

Charities: Finance

John McDonnell: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what recent discussions he has had with representatives of the Charity Commission on the likely effect of the establishment of the Big Society Bank on the funding of charities.

Nick Hurd: The Minister meets regularly with the Charity Commission to discuss a range of issues, including the Big Society Bank. The Big Society Bank will help to grow the social investment market and so make it easier for social entrepreneurs to access capital, helping them raise more money for onward investment.

Civil Service: Redundancy

John McDonnell: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many (a) compulsory and (b) voluntary redundancies there have been in the civil service since May 2010.

Francis Maude: Individual Departments and agencies are responsible for offering staff compulsory and voluntary redundancy, and this information is not recorded centrally.
	The civil service has a corporate approach to minimising compulsory redundancies. Over the last five years, the issue of compulsory redundancy notices to those who wanted to continue their civil service career has been limited to less than 400.

Community Development

Chris Ruane: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many Cabinet Ministers are participating in volunteering activities as part of his Department's Big Society initiative.

Nick Hurd: Big Society is a cross-Government initiative and each Cabinet Minister will be responsible for their decisions on what voluntary activities they decide to undertake.

Government Departments: Cost-effectiveness

Nicola Blackwood: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what steps he is taking to reduce (a) costs and (b) inefficiency through collaboration between Government Departments.

Francis Maude: Significant steps have been taken in reducing costs and improving efficiency between Departments since the coalition Government came to office just under a year ago. The Emergency Budget set immediate cost reductions of £6.2 billion across Departments, which has been achieved with close to £3 billion directly attributed to Cabinet Office initiatives through reducing spend on consultants, re-negotiating contracts with major suppliers, the ICT and Estates Moratoriums and review and in some cases stopping of major programmes. New strategies have recently been approved on ICT, centralised procurement and major programmes which will see greater efficiency and collaboration across Departments to help support the £83 billion cost reductions required over the CSR period.

Public Expenditure

Chris Ruane: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office 
	(1)  what analysis his Department has commissioned on the effect of the outcome of the comprehensive spending review on applications to the Targeted Support Fund; and what related research he has received from (a) the Community Development Foundation and (b) other organisations on the effect on the delivery of the fund of the outcome of the review;
	(2)  what analysis his Department has commissioned on the effect of the outcome of the comprehensive spending review on applications to the Modernisation Fund; and what related research he has received from (a) the Social Investment Business, (b) Capacitybuilders and (c) other organisations on the effect on the delivery of the fund of the outcome of the review;
	(3)  what analysis his Department has commissioned on the effect of the outcome of the comprehensive spending review on applications to the Hardship Fund; and what related research he has received from (a) the Community Development Foundation and (b) other organisations on the effect on the delivery of the fund of the outcome of the review.

Nick Hurd: The Targeted Support Fund, Modernisation Fund and Hardship Fund were all one year only funds, available in 2009-10 only. All were closed by the time of the spending review 2010 announcement. The lessons and knowledge learnt from all three were fed into the negotiations over the Cabinet Office's spending review bid, and were of particular benefit in the design and roll out of the Transition Fund.

Public Expenditure

Chris Ruane: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office what analysis his Department has commissioned on the effect of the outcome of the comprehensive spending review on applications to the Transition Fund; and what related research he has received from (a) the Big Lottery Fund, (b) Capacitybuilders, (c) the Association of Chief Executives of Voluntary Organisations and (d) other organisations on the effect on the delivery of the fund of the outcome of the review.

Nick Hurd: The Transition Fund was launched as part of the spending review 2010 and will be subject to an internal evaluation by Big Fund, who is delivering the fund on behalf of the Cabinet Office. We took evidence from a variety of previous funds and stakeholders to feed into the negotiations for the spending review settlement.

Third Sector

Roberta Blackman-Woods: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office how many (a) civil servants and (b) other Government staff of (A) his Department and (B) the Department for Communities and Local Government have been engaged in the piloting of each of the Big Society vanguard areas (i) through secondment and (ii) in addition to their usual duties.

Nick Hurd: The Cabinet Office has not engaged any staff in the formulation of the Big Society vanguards. Work on vanguards is being taken forward by the Department for Communities and Local Government.

Voluntary Organisations: Finance

Chris Ruane: To ask the Minister for the Cabinet Office 
	(1)  what estimate his Department has (a) made and (b) received from (i) strategic partners of the Office for Civil Society and (ii) other external organisations of the likely reductions in the voluntary sector attributable to reductions in public expenditure (A) in 2011-12 and (B) over the course of the comprehensive spending review period;
	(2)  what estimate his Department has (a) made and (b) received from (i) strategic partners of the Office for Civil Society and (ii) other external organisations of likely redundancies in the voluntary sector attributable to reductions in public expenditure (A) in 2011-12 and (B) over the course of the comprehensive spending review period;
	(3)  what estimate his Department has (a) made and (b) received from (i) strategic partners of the Office for Civil Society and (ii) other external organisations of likely closures of voluntary organisations attributable to reductions in public expenditure (A) in 2011-12 and (B) over the course of the comprehensive spending review period.

Nick Hurd: There are no robust figures available from the sector or within Government on the impact of public spending reductions. Officials are currently looking at the best way for central Government Departments to regularly report publicly on spending on the voluntary sector, both in terms of baseline levels and how these levels change over the course of the spending period.
	The Government are committed to supporting the voluntary, community and social enterprise sector to move forward at this difficult time, and continue to work closely with partners in the sector to understand and mitigate the impacts of any spending reductions.
	The Government's programme of reform will create significant new opportunities for the voluntary, community and social enterprise sector as we open up public service markets and make these markets more accessible to the sector.

DEPUTY PRIME MINISTER

Elections: Fraud

Stephen Hammond: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister what steps he is taking to minimise potential levels of electoral fraud in the (a) local elections and (b) London mayoral election in 2012.

Mark Harper: The Electoral Commission has led work with police forces, political parties and returning officers to raise awareness of integrity issues and strengthen systems to ensure that fraud is detected and prosecuted and to draw attention to existing good practice. There is evidence of effective working between returning officers and local police at recent elections with the police engaged on election issues and committed to the detection of electoral fraud which is reflected in the findings of the joint report by the Association of Chief Police Officers and Electoral Commission on the May 2010 elections, ‘Analysis of cases of alleged electoral malpractice in 2010’. This approach was continued for the polls that took place on 5 May 2011. The Government will wish to consider carefully the planned reports by the Electoral Commission on those polls, and any recommendations made by the Electoral Commission, and will continue to keep procedures under review to ensure that the electoral process is secure for the elections in 2012.

Electoral Register

Tessa Munt: To ask the Deputy Prime Minister whether electoral services in each local authority are part of the Tell Us Once service.

Mark Harper: The Tell Us Once programme is aimed at ensuring that people only have to inform the public sector once of a change in personal circumstances, so that this may be shared with other public authorities, rather than the individual having to inform each public authority that needs to know separately. (Currently this service is restricted to the notification of births and deaths.)
	The Government do not collect information on whether local authority electoral services departments make use of information provided by the Tell Us Once service. I am informed that this service is currently available in 42 local authority areas, and that up to 90% of local authorities in Great Britain are committed to become part of this service by November.
	Where that information is provided to a local authority, it is for the electoral registration officer to make use of it to update the electoral register.

COMMUNITIES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT

Community Development

Caroline Flint: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government with reference to The Plan for Growth, March 2011, paragraph 2.17, what requirements he plans to put in place on the number of businesses that will need to work together in order to bring forward a neighbourhood plan.

Greg Clark: I refer the right hon. Member to the answer I gave on 26 April 2011, Official Report, columns 188-89W.

Council Tax

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what guidance his Department is providing to local authorities on the start date for port companies to pay newly-assessed council taxes; and what steps he plans to take to ensure consistency of practice in this matter by local authorities.

Bob Neill: Businesses, such as the port companies, are liable for ongoing non-domestic rates bills that accrue from the date the property was initially put on the rating list. The Government, through the Localism Bill, will cancel the backdated non-domestic rates bills up to that date, where the criteria for the schedule of payment policy is met and also where they were split from a predecessor hereditament. The Department published a Business Rates Information Letter (8/2010) in May 2010 as guidance, available at:
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/localgovernment/localgovernmentfinance/businessrates/busratesinformationletters/ratesletters2010/

District Heating

Zac Goldsmith: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what powers his Department plans to give to local authorities to incentivise the establishment of district heating systems.

Gregory Barker: I have been asked to reply.
	Local authorities are already able to drive development of district heating systems in their areas, for example by setting out their support for district heating in local plans. The planning system is an important means of creating conditions able to supporting district heating networks, including by requiring that new buildings connect to existing networks and co-locating heat supply with heat demand.
	We recognise that there remain barriers to development of district heating, particularly in relation to the lack of evidence and understanding about the existence and availability of heat demand. We are therefore developing a National Heat Map for England. The map will be available online as a tool to help local authorities identify, to street and building level, what heat demand exists and where best to locate heat networks or heat technologies.

Energy Performance Certificates

Julian Sturdy: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what plans he has for requirements for Energy Performance Certificates for properties used as holiday lets.

Andrew Stunell: An Energy Performance Certificate will be needed from 30 June 2011, for properties which are used as holiday lets for a combined period of more than four months in any 12 month period.
	The Department consulted last year on extending Energy Performance Certificates to holiday lets. We published details of the outcome of the consultation on 30 November 2010.

Enterprise Zones

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether his plans for enterprise zones will include incentives for investment in intangible assets in addition to capital allowance-based incentives.

Bob Neill: Government have put forward a range of measures to develop enterprise zones and make them attractive places to do business. These include:
	A business rate discount of 100%, up to £275,000 over a five year period;
	All business rate growth generated by the zone for a period of at least 25 years will be keep by that area.
	The new enterprise zones policy recognises that there may be a case for offering capital allowances to businesses in enterprise zones which are based in EU-assisted areas and have a strong focus on heavy industry and manufacturing.
	Government are willing to hold discussions with local enterprise partnerships if they feel that additional incentives are required to overcome local barriers to economic growth.

Enterprise Zones

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what steps he is taking to ensure that economic incentives available within enterprise zones are not misused by the tax avoidance industry.

Bob Neill: Business rate discounts are limited by EU state aid law, up to a de minimis threshold of €200,000 over a rolling three-year period, the equivalent of approximately £55,000 per year. The relevant local authority will ensure that businesses do not receive greater levels of support.

EU Grants and Loans: North East

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer of 6 December 2010, Official Report, column 54W, on EU grants and loans: North East, what progress he has made on implementing the mitigating measures required to ensure that the European Regional Development Fund programmes in England are in compliance with European Commission regulations.

Bob Neill: A written ministerial statement on the future arrangements for the operation of European Regional Development Funding in England, including maintaining compliance, was made on 3 February 2011, Official Report, columns 48-49WS.

EU Grants and Loans: North East

Catherine McKinnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer of 9 December 2010, Official Report, column 381W, on EU grants and loans: North East, what arrangements are in place to ensure that match-funding is available for the North East England 2007-13 European Regional Development Fund Competitiveness Programme.

Bob Neill: We expect that match funding will be available from a range of public sources such as the Regional Growth Fund. We have made arrangements to align the bidding process for Round Two of the Regional Growth Fund with the bidding rounds for the ERDF programmes to maximise the opportunity for organisations to receive support from both funds. We are also expecting some match funding to be provided from the private sector.

Fire Services: Private Sector

John McDonnell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what guidance his Department has issued to Chief Fire Officers wishing to transfer to the private sector in the last 12 months.

Bob Neill: holding answer 4 May 2011
	No guidance for Chief Fire Officers wishing to transfer to the private sector has been issued by the Department in the last 12 months. Fire and Rescue Authorities are the employers and any such guidance would be for them, and not the Department, to issue.

Historic Buildings: Sales

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if he will take steps to prevent the sale of historic buildings by local authorities.

Bob Neill: None of the disposal regimes for local authority land contain special provisions for the disposal of historic buildings. The only special provisions for particular types of land is for open space, where prospective disposals have to be advertised in advance and the local authority must take any representations received into account.
	There are three regimes for the disposal of local authority land. The general one is under section 123 Local Government Act 1972, which says that local authorities may dispose of land in any manner they wish. The Secretary of State's only role is to give or withhold consent if the disposal is at less than the best consideration reasonably obtainable. There is a general disposal consent if the undervalue of the disposal is less than £2 million.
	The disposal power for land held for planning purposes is section 233 Town and Country Planning Act 1990. This is similar to the Local Government Act regime except that there is no power to issue a general consent. This means that all disposals at less than best consideration must receive a specific consent.
	The disposal of land and buildings held by local authorities for housing purposes is governed by consents issued by the Secretary of State under section 32 of the Housing Act 1985 and section 25 of the Local Government Act 1988. A general consent issued under section 32 allows (among other things) local authorities to dispose of properties to individuals at market value. A general consent issued under section 25 allows for disposal at undervalue to registered providers of social housing. For disposals that fall outside these general consents, local authorities currently need to approach the Secretary of State for a specific consent and each application is judged on its merit. Usually a special consent will be provided if it is considered that the application is in line with the local authority's strategic plans for the provision of social and affordable housing, the regeneration of the local area and we are satisfied that any tenants involved have been fully consulted and do not oppose the proposals.

Housing: Construction

Mike Hancock: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government if he will assess the potential benefits for Portsmouth of the New Homes Bonus.

Grant Shapps: The New Homes Bonus provides a powerful incentive for local authorities to increase their housing supply, It will be paid for six years and is based on the council tax available from increase in local housing supply—either through new homes or by better use of existing stock.
	Final allocations for 2011-12 were announced on 4 April and rewards housing delivered between October 2009 and October 2010. Portsmouth has received £333,899 for 2011-12. Based on year one delivery alone, over the six years this amounts to £2,003,394. From April 2012 Portsmouth can also benefit from a bonus based on homes being delivered now and future homes will deliver further rewards.
	Full details of the calculation for the bonus can be found in the final scheme design document, available at:
	http://www.communities.gov.uk/publications/housing/finalschemedesign

Housing: Sexuality

Clive Betts: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government 
	(1)  what his policy is on steps to ensure that mainstream housing providers are aware of the (a) needs and (b) rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender young people who are homeless;
	(2)  with which organisations his Department is working to develop best practice guidance for protecting tenants subject to homophobic and transphobic harassment;
	(3)  what steps his Department is taking to reduce levels of homelessness among lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender young people.

Grant Shapps: Social housing providers have a legal requirement to ensure that they comply with the Equality Act 2010, including in relation to sexual orientation. In addition, all social housing providers who are registered with the social housing regulator are compelled through its standards framework to respond to and demonstrate that they understand the different and diverse needs of their tenants.
	The Department for Communities and Local Government has contact with organisations, such as Stonewall and the Albert Kennedy Trust, who provide advice and guidance on meeting the housing needs of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender people. Guidance produced by both organisations on working with homeless lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender young people is available on the Department's National Youth Homelessness Scheme website. The Chartered Institute of Housing has also recently published advice for housing associations on how to provide services to lesbian, gay, bisexual or transgender tenants. The Department is working with the Chartered Institute of Housing to develop new best practice guidance for social landlords on preventing and tackling antisocial behaviour, including protecting tenants who are subject to homophobic harassment and hate crime.

Local Enterprise Partnerships

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government how many times he has met representatives of the (a) Federation of Small Businesses, (b) Institute of Directors and (c) Forum of Private Business to discuss the establishment of a co-ordinating and representative body for local enterprise partnerships.

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government on how many occasions he has met (a) the Federation of Small Businesses, (b) the Institute of Directors and (c) the Forum of Private Business to discuss the national representative body for local enterprise partnerships to be led by the British Chambers of Commerce.

Bob Neill: The Department meets regularly with business representative bodies on a range of policy issues including local enterprise partnerships.

Local Enterprise Partnerships

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government which organisations his Department consulted on proposals to fund an external organisation to co-ordinate a representative forum for local enterprise partnerships.

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government which organisations were consulted on his Department's decision to select the British Chambers of Commerce to lead a national representative body for local enterprise partnerships.

Bob Neill: The Government have chosen the British Chamber of Commerce as the preferred option to run a network of local enterprise partnerships, following the initial proposal that they submitted to the Department. We feel that with its existing extensive network and capability across the country, the British Chamber of Commerce is ideally placed to provide the capability and support that partnerships need to achieve their economic ambitions.

Local Enterprise Partnerships

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what recent discussions he has had with the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills on proposals to set up a national representative body for local enterprise partnerships.

Bob Neill: The Department meets regularly with Department for Business, Innovation and Skills bodies on a range of policy issues. Local enterprise partnerships is a joint policy between these two Departments and Ministers have discussed and agreed the way forward on the proposed network.

Local Enterprise Partnerships

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what aims and objectives he has set for the new national representative body for local enterprise partnerships; and if he will make a statement.

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what the aims and objectives are of the new national representative body for local enterprise partnerships; and if he will make a statement.

Bob Neill: The network will provide a forum for local leaders to share ideas, solve problems and get the latest data they need to promote economic growth across the country.

Local Enterprise Partnerships

Gordon Marsden: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what procurement process was used to award the contract for a national representative body for local enterprise partnerships; and if he will make a statement.

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what procurement process his Department used to select the British Chambers of Commerce to lead a national representative body for local enterprise partnerships; and if he will make a statement.

Bob Neill: The British Chamber of Commerce offered to run a network of local enterprise partnerships and submitted a proposal to support this offer. The decision to engage with a British Chamber of Commerce-led network has been made on the basis of their good fit, national reach and ambition to deliver this work across the country for local enterprise partnerships. The Department is not procuring this service but will support this activity led by British Chamber of Commerce.
	No grant agreement is yet in place and any funding awarded will be subject to a satisfactory funding agreement which will be dependent on the quality of their final business case.

Local Enterprise Partnerships

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government by what process the contract to run the representative body for local enterprise partnerships was awarded; and what consultation he undertook with business organisations before the award was made.

Bob Neill: The Government have chosen the British Chamber of Commerce as the preferred option to run a network of local enterprise partnerships following their initial proposal submitted to the Department. We hope other business organisations will engage constructively in this work going forward.
	However, no grant agreement is yet in place and any funding awarded will be subject to a satisfactory funding agreement which will be dependent on the quality of British Chamber of Commerce final business case.

Local Government: Redundancy Pay

Amber Rudd: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government pursuant to the answer of 4 March 2011, Official Report, column 638W, on local government: redundancy pay, whether his Department provides any separate funds to contribute to the costs of redundancies deemed necessary under spending adjustments.

Bob Neill: It is for individual councils to make decisions about how their workforces are organised and managed to deliver efficient services for local taxpayers, including managing redundancy costs. The Government do not provide any separate funding for these costs.
	Councils may apply to DCLG to capitalise redundancy costs. £300 million of capitalisation is available in 2011-12 to help councils who wish to deliver efficiency savings early through organisational restructuring.

Ports

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what criteria are used to determine whether a berth is included in the rating assessment for port companies; and what steps his Department is taking to ensure that such criteria are applied consistently.

Bob Neill: The Valuation Office Agency is responsible for the assessment of properties for business rates in accordance with the rating legislation and established legal precedent. The approach to the separate assessment of berths follows the principles of “exclusive occupation” and “paramount control” which are long established.
	While the agency applies the law consistently, decisions on whether to assess a particular property will ultimately rest on the facts in each individual case. Decisions will take into account, but will not be limited to, such factors as the use of the berth, physical location, degree of control being exercised and other factors that may vary from property to property.

Ports

Austin Mitchell: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what estimate he has made of the loss of income to local authorities as a result of the decision to cancel retrospective rate demands made on port businesses; whether he plans to bring forward proposals to compensate local authorities for any loss; and if he will make a statement.

Bob Neill: The cost of cancelling the backdated rates bills, as set out in the impact assessment for the Localism Bill, is estimated at £177 million. This cost will be met by central Government and will not impact upon revenues for local authorities allocated to them as part of the Local Government Finance Settlement.

Regional Planning and Development

Julian Sturdy: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what guidance his Department has issued to local authorities on taking account of the potential abolition of regional targets for renewable energy when determining planning applications.

Bob Neill: The Chief Planner's letter to local planning authorities of 10 November advised that the Secretary of State expected them to have regard to the Government's intention to abolish regional strategies as a material consideration in planning decisions.

Sheltered Housing Wardens

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether he has plans to encourage greater provision of sheltered housing wardens as part of the big society initiative; and if he will make a statement.

Greg Clark: My Department is giving communities more control over how public money is spent and local services are delivered, including sheltered housing wardens, for instance through the Community Right to Challenge.

Tenancy Deposit Schemes

Steve Brine: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government whether his Department plans to review the Deposit Protection Service.

Grant Shapps: My Department will be looking carefully at the operation of tenancy deposit protection schemes as part of future exercises to put in place schemes once the current service provision agreements come to an end. In the meantime, my officials will continue to assess monthly reports of performance against key performance indicators and discuss any issues at quarterly monitoring meetings with each of the schemes.

Third Sector

Philip Davies: To ask the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government what incentives his Department is providing to local authorities to increase the delivery of services by the charitable and voluntary sector.

Andrew Stunell: Spending decisions are, and will continue to be, a matter for local authorities. We have given local authorities more freedoms and flexibilities so that they can apportion their resources where they are most needed. The charitable and voluntary sector is vital to delivery of public services and the big society and DCLG is making it easier for councils to engage the sector in the commissioning and procurement of services.
	We are supporting the Local Government Group’s Productivity Programme which will work with councils to identify and disseminate good practice around working with the voluntary and community sector for all authorities to learn from. We are revising Best Value guidance to set out clearer expectations around the relationship between authorities and the sector when facing difficult funding decisions, and to be more explicit about the scope for authorities to consider social value in their functions. The Community Right to Challenge in the Localism Bill will ensure that local authorities consider and respond to expressions of interest from voluntary and community bodies in running local services.

HEALTH

Accident and Emergency Departments: South East

David Evennett: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what recent estimate he has made of accident and emergency waiting times at (a) Queen Elizabeth hospital, Woolwich, (b) Princess Royal hospital, Farnborough and (c) Darent Valley hospital, Dartford.

Simon Burns: Information is not collected in the format requested.
	Information is held at the level of trusts and information is not published for specific hospital sites.
	The following table shows the proportion of patients who spent less than four hours in accident and emergency (A and E), minor injury units (MIU) and walk-in centres (WIC) from arrival to admission, transfer or discharge in quarter 3 of 2010-11.
	
		
			 All A and E/MIU/WIC (type 1, 2, 3) 
			  Total attendances Percentage who spent less than four hours in A and E 
			 South London Healthcare NHS Trust 76,563 92.42 
			 Dartford and Gravesham NHS Trust 26,266 92.25 
			 Source: Unify2 data collection: Quarterly Monitoring Accident and Emergency Services (QMAE). 
		
	
	This is available from the Department’s website at:
	www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/Statistics/Performancedataandstatistics/AccidentandEmergency/DH_079085
	More recent data on the proportion of patients who spent less than four hours in A and E from arrival to admission, transfer or discharge for quarter 4 (Q4) of 2009-10 and year to date (YTD) 2011-12 are presented in the following table. However, these data are unvalidated management information that do not undergo the same quality checks as the QMAE figures provided above.
	
		
			 Total attendances and performance, YTD 2011-12 (  week   ending 10, 17 and 24 April 2011) and Q4 2010-11 (week ending 9 January 2011 to week ending 3 April 2011, 13 weeks) 
			 Hospital provider  Period Total attendances Percentage who spent less than four hours in A and E 
			 South London Healthcare NHS Trust 2011-12 YTD 2011-12 (3 weeks) 10,113 96.0 
			  2010-11 Q4 (13 weeks) 44,024 93.6 
			      
			 Dartford and Gravesham NHS Trust 2011-12 YTD 2011-12 (3 weeks) 5,588 94.8 
			  2010-11 Q4 (13 weeks) 23,288 91.3 
		
	
	Data on average waiting times in A and E are available from the A and E Hospital Episode Statistics (HES) data set. The following table sets out the mean and median time spent between arrival and departure in A and E departments in 2009-10 (latest published data).
	
		
			 Minutes 
			 Hospital provider Mean duration to departure Median duration to departure 
			 South London Healthcare NHS Trust 171 153 
			 Dartford and Gravesham NHS Trust 183 196 
			 Notes: 1. Duration to Departure: The time (expressed as a whole number of minutes) between the patients arrival and the time the A and E attendance has concluded and the department is no longer responsible for the care of the patient. 2. A and E Data Quality: Hospital Episode Statistics (HES) are compiled from data sent by a number of NHS providers across England. The NHS Information Centre for health and social care liaises closely with these organisations to encourage submission of complete and valid data and seek to minimise inaccuracies and the effect of missing and invalid data via HES processes. While this brings about improvement over time, some shortcomings remain. The A and E HES publications addresses some of the key data quality and coverage issues. These are available on HESonline at: www.hesonline.nhs.uk/Ease/servlet/ContentServer?siteID=1937&categoryID=1271 Source: A and E HES, the NHS Information Centre for health and social care

Bassetlaw Hospital: Standards

John Mann: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the likely effects of implementing his proposed NHS reforms on (a) patient care and (b) resources at Bassetlaw Hospital.

Simon Burns: The effects of the proposed national health service reforms on patient care and resources are discussed within the impact assessment, published alongside the Health and Social Care Bill. It is available on the Department's website at:
	www.dh.gov.uk/en/Publicationsandstatistics/Publications/PublicationsLegislation/DH_123583
	and a copy has already been placed in the Library.
	Paragraph 19 of the impact assessment says,
	“The policies proposed in the White Paper and the Bill will put patients at the heart of the NHS, giving patients, carers and the public a stronger collective voice, greater choice and control, and more involvement in decisions about their care, supported by an information revolution that aims to transform how information is provided. They will bring about a greater focus on improving outcomes, so that the NHS focus on what matters most to patients: high quality care. They will also empower clinicians, free providers and professionals from bureaucracy and central control and make NHS services more accountable to patients and communities. Removing unnecessary layers of bureaucracy will simplify the existing structure of the NHS, driving efficiency in the short-term and helping to ensure that the NHS is both sustainable and self-improving in the longer-term.”
	The proposed NHS reforms are subject to the outcome of the NHS Listening Exercise. We are taking advantage of the natural break in the passage of the Health and Social Care Bill to pause, listen, reflect and improve the legislation. By June 2011, we will have decided how to take forward the Bill in a way that reflects what we have heard.

Blood: Donors

Kerry McCarthy: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will make it his policy to prohibit financial incentives for those giving blood following the proposed changes to NHS Blood and Transplant.

Anne Milton: In the United Kingdom, blood donation is based on the principle of altruism, where donors give blood for no reward other than to help patients. Indeed, the Blood Safety and Quality Regulations 2005, as amended, require the UK blood services, which includes NHS Blood and Transplant (NHSBT), to encourage voluntary and unpaid blood donations. There are no plans to change this.
	Long-serving donors receive milestone awards such as a badge and certificate, and those giving the greatest number of donations are invited to an awards dinner. Due to the length of time it takes to donate platelets, NHSBT does reimburse some platelet donors for parking when they are donating at city centre sites.

CJD: Disease Control

Paul Beresford: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what research his Department (a) has carried out and (b) is undertaking on cold sterilisation products for the prevention of cross infection of variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease prion from surgical instruments; what estimate has been made of the cost of such research in the last 12 months; when the results of the ongoing research are expected; who is carrying out the ongoing research; and where the results and conclusions of such research (i) are to be and (ii) have been published.

Simon Burns: The Department has previously funded research on cold sterilisation products for the prevention of cross infection of variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease. The projects funded include research on enzymatic detergents, protein detection assays, physico-chemical technologies, and barrier and surface coatings. Findings have been published in peer-reviewed journals. The Department is not currently funding any projects in this area, and there was no expenditure in 2010-11.

CJD: Disease Control

Paul Beresford: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much has been spent from the public purse on research studies on tonsils and the appendix to detect variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease; and when the results of such studies are expected.

Simon Burns: To obtain an estimate of the prevalence of variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD) in the population, the Department funds studies to detect vCJD in tonsils and appendices. From 1999-2000 to 2010-11, the Department spent £10.9 million on such studies from central research and development budgets.
	Results have been published in peer reviewed journals. Further publication is expected at the end of the current projects.

CJD: Disease Control

Paul Beresford: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what estimate has been made of the cost to the public purse of importing blood products from non-UK sources for the purposes of prevention of transmission of variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease in each year since its commencement.

Anne Milton: Since 1998 a number of measures have been introduced by the UK Blood Services to reduce the risk of transfusion transmitted variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease. The cost of the importation of fresh frozen plasma for therapeutic use is shown in the following table:
	
		
			 Fresh frozen plasma: Cost of importation, 2004-11 
			  £ million 
			 2004-05 0.29 
			 2005-06 0.51 
			 2006-07 0.31 
			 2007-08 0.32 
			 2008-09 0.46 
			 2009-10 0.93 
			 2010-11 1.02 
			 Total 3.84 
			 Source:  NHS Blood and Transplant. 
		
	
	NHS Blood and Transplant report that the increased costs shown from 2008-09 are in part a result of less favourable exchange rates.
	Since 1999, plasma for the manufacture of fractionated plasma products, such as immunoglobulins and clotting factors, has been obtained from non-United Kingdom sources. There is a global market for the main plasma products and most companies were largely unaffected by the changes resulting from vCJD as they source plasma from non-UK donors.
	Bio Products Laboratory Ltd (BPL) is the Department-owned fractionator which supplies part of the national health service demand but only a very small proportion of global product (2% to 4%). BPL historically used plasma from the UK blood services and was therefore directly affected by the change in policy. BPL's fractionated products are used in the UK, and are also sold abroad. A cost estimate for importing the plasma that is used to manufacture BPL products that are used in the UK is not readily available, but I will place an estimate in the Library by the end of June 2011.

CJD: Disease Control

Paul Beresford: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the contribution of the Minister of State of 28 April 2011, Official Report, column 426, on variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, announcing funding for the development of cold plasma decontamination technology, whether this research will examine the removal or de-activation of vCJD prions.

Simon Burns: The cold plasma decontamination project will use scrapie infected mouse brain homogenates, not variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease infected tissues and homogenates. Removal of the prion will be examined.

CJD: Disease Control

Paul Beresford: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the contribution of the Minister of State of 28 April 2011, Official Report, column 425W, and the answer of 12 July 2010, Official Report, column 475W on Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease, how many transmissions of variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease have been presumed to be associated with blood since 1999.

Anne Milton: There have been three cases of clinical variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease (vCJD) and one case of infection (without development of clinical disease) presumed to be associated with blood transfusion. These have occurred in people who have received blood transfusions from donors who themselves went on to develop clinical vCJD after they had made the blood donation. None of these patients were transfused since 1999. The vCJD infection in these four recipients only came to light in 2003 and later because of the incubation period of vCJD.
	The Transfusion Medicine Epidemiology Review (TMER), a collaborative project between the United Kingdom National Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease Research & Surveillance Unit (NCJDRSU) and the United Kingdom blood services, investigates evidence that CJD or vCJD may have been transmitted via the blood supply. Details are on the TMER website at:
	www.cjd.ed.ac.uk/TMER/TMER.htm

CJD: Disease Control

Paul Beresford: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether his Department has conducted a cost analysis to compare the proposed use of prion filters and existing costs of risk reduction measures against the introduction of a variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease blood screening test which may replace or remove the need for these measures.

Anne Milton: There is currently no blood screening test that is proven to identify asymptomatic variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease infection. For this reason it is not possible to carry out a cost analysis to compare these measures.

CJD: Disease Control

Paul Beresford: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the contribution of the Minister of State for Health of 28 April 2011, Official Report, column 430 on variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease (vCJD), what pathway his Department proposes to use to develop a prototype vCJD blood test in the event that no commercial company believes there is a business case to develop such a test.

Anne Milton: The Department is aware of a number of commercial organisations and academic institutions currently developing prototype blood tests for the abnormal prion protein associated with variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease.

Dietary Supplements: EU Law

Kate Hoey: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  when he last informed the European Commission of his position on the setting of maximum permitted levels for vitamins and minerals in food supplements; what plans he has to achieve his objectives in relation to the formulation of legislation; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  what steps he plans to take to ensure that consumers continue to have access to higher potency vitamin and mineral supplements when Article 5 of the Food Supplements Directive is implemented;
	(3)  what steps he is taking to ensure that the provisions of the Nutrition and Health Claims Regulation do not restrict the provision to consumers of information about the intended purpose and appropriate use of natural health products.

Anne Milton: I last met with European Commissioner for Health, John Dalli, on 19 November 2010, to discuss United Kingdom concerns about the setting maximum limits for food supplements. I pressed for any changes to the legislation to be based on scientific evidence of risk and not be unduly restrictive, so that the impact on UK industry is minimised while maintaining consumer choice. Commissioner Dalli has confirmed that he recognises the UK's concerns and will take this into account in developing proposals.
	Departmental officials are actively involved in European discussions as part of the health claims authorisation process. The Government's objective is to ensure that health claims are assessed and authorised appropriately so that consumers can have confidence in claims made about foods, including food supplements. Officials have met with members of food supplement trade associations to discuss the impact of the legislation, and will continue to keep interested parties informed of progress in Brussels.

Diseases: Conferences

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health when he expects the appointment of a UK delegation to the forthcoming UN summit on non-communicable diseases to be announced; and if he will make a statement.

Anne Milton: A decision on the United Kingdom delegation to the forthcoming United Nations High Level meeting on non-communicable diseases in September 2011 will be made nearer the time. The decision will take into account how best to represent UK interests, given the domestic and global priority attached to tackling non-communicable diseases, as well as the need for efficient use of taxpayers' money in funding overseas trips.

Drugs: Side Effects

Stephen Mosley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people died as a result of an adverse reaction to a licensed drug in each of the last 10 years.

Simon Burns: Reports of 'suspected' adverse drug reactions (ADRs) are collected by the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) and Commission for Human Medicines (CHM) through the spontaneous reporting scheme; the Yellow Card Scheme. The scheme collects ADR reports from across the whole United Kingdom and includes all medicines, including those from prescriptions, over-the-counter or general retail sales. Reports are also received for herbal medicines and other unlicensed medicines.
	The following table provides a breakdown of the total number of UK spontaneous 'suspected' ADR reports received by the MHRA during the last 10 years with a fatal outcome.
	
		
			  Number of reports 
			 2001 647 
			 2002 663 
			 2003 729 
			 2004 856 
			 2005 1,036 
			 2006 954 
			 2007 1,037 
			 2008 1,298 
			 2009 1,191 
			 2010 1,451 
		
	
	It should be noted that these data represent all UK spontaneous 'suspected' ADR reports with a fatal outcome received through the Yellow Card Scheme. The data cannot be stratified according to licensed or unlicensed medicines.

Fertility: Medical Treatments

Clive Betts: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many health authorities have fertility treatment policies which exclude from NHS-funded fertility treatment couples with any living children from the current relationship or any past relationships of either partner.

Anne Milton: Information about whether primary care trusts (PCTs) fund in vitro fertilisation treatment for couples that have living children from their current or past relationships is not collected by the Department.
	It is for PCTs to make commissioning decisions based on clinical evidence and discussions with local general practitioner commissioners; secondary care clinicians and providers, in order to meet their statutory responsibilities.

General Practitioners: North Yorkshire

Anne McIntosh: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the potential implications for North Yorkshire of the introduction of GP commissioning; and if he will make a statement.

Simon Burns: ‘Equity and Excellence: Liberating the NHS’ described plans to establish a comprehensive system of general practitioner (GP) consortia to commission most national health service services, supported by and accountable to a new independent NHS Commissioning Board. The impact assessment that was published alongside the Health and Social Care Bill in January outlined further the implications of introducing commissioning consortia.
	In addition, NHS Yorkshire and the Humber has commissioned a review into how GP commissioners can best use resources for improved health services in the North Yorkshire area. This review is due to conclude in the summer.

General Practitioners: Telephone Services

Bob Russell: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what assessment he has made of the level of compliance by GPs with his Department’s guidance on the use of premium line telephone numbers for GP surgeries; and if he will make a statement.

Simon Burns: Information on the level of compliance by general practitioners with the Department’s guidance on the use of premium line telephone numbers is not collected centrally.
	It is the responsibility of primary care trusts to ensure that local practices are compliant with the guidance and directions issued on 21 December 2009.

Health Services: Private Sector

David Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what assessment he has made of the potential effect on the private health care market in England of removing the private patient income cap;
	(2)  what assessment he has made of the potential effects on patients in NHS foundation trusts of removing the cap on private patient income.

Simon Burns: The Command Paper, “Liberating the NHS: Legislative framework and next steps”, and the impact assessments for the Health and Social Care Bill 2011 consider the effect of removing the private patient cap for national health service foundation trusts.

Herbal Medicine: EU Law

Kate Hoey: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many products have been issued with formal registration approvals under the terms of the Traditional Herbal Medicinal Products Directive; and how many applications for such registration have been received but not yet granted.

Simon Burns: As at 28 April 2011 the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency had received 211 applications to register products under the traditional herbal registration scheme. Of these, 105 had so far been granted a registration and the remainder were under assessment.

Hospital: Waiting Lists

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many patients waiting longer than 18 weeks have been offered redress under the NHS constitution in the latest period for which figures are available.

Simon Burns: The NHS constitution right is for patients
	“to access services within maximum waiting times, or for the NHS to take all reasonable steps to offer you a range of alternative providers if this is not possible”.
	The Department does not collect information centrally on patients who wait longer than 18 weeks who have asked to exercise their right to redress under the NHS constitution. Average waiting times from general practitioner (GP) referral to start of consultant-led treatment are broadly stable. In February 2011, the median time waited from GP referral to start of consultant-led treatment for patients admitted to hospital was 9.0 weeks, and for patients whose treatment did not require an admission, it was 3.5 weeks.

Influenza: Vaccination

Stephen Mosley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many and what proportion of NHS healthcare workers received an influenza vaccination in the last 12 months; and what steps he is taking to increase the number that have had a vaccination.

Anne Milton: Provisional data covering the period from September 2010 to February 2011 indicates that 359,080 frontline healthcare workers were vaccinated against influenza in England. This represents an uptake rate of 34.7%.
	The chief medical officer wrote to the national health service on 14 March seeking assurance that plans are in place to significantly improve vaccine uptake among this group next winter. Later this month the Department will publish the Seasonal Flu Plan which will state that IMHS organisations should ensure that appropriate measures are in place to offer flu vaccination to their frontline health and social care workers.
	The Department will run an NHS staff vaccination communications campaign in partnership with external stakeholders in 2011-12. The campaign will be designed to support local teams, ensure consistency of message, share best practice and harness clinical and professional leadership at both national and local levels.

Malnutrition

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what steps his Department has taken to reduce the effects of malnutrition since May 2010; and if he will make a statement;
	(2)  with reference to the quality standards in the NHS Operating Framework 2011-12, what steps his Department is taking to develop standards for (a) nutrition in hospitals for young people, (b) intravenous fluid therapy in hospitalised adult patients and (c) pressure ulcers;
	(3)  if he will estimate the cost to the NHS of treating malnutrition in England in each year since 2000; and what his most recent estimate is of the cost per hospital episode of treating preventable malnutrition;
	(4)  how many people resident in a care home were (a) admitted to and (b) discharged from hospital with a diagnosis of malnutrition in England in each year since 2000;
	(5)  whether he plans to introduce indicators in the national component of the Commissioning for Quality and Innovation scheme to encourage a reduction in levels of malnutrition; and if he will make a statement;
	(6)  what steps he is taking to reduce the incidence of malnutrition in (a) the community, (b) acute healthcare settings and (c) care homes;
	(7)  what steps he is taking to improve the quality of data collected on malnutrition;
	(8)  what assessment he has made of the (a) prevalence and (b) costs of malnutrition in England;
	(9)  what reasons the failure to prevent a patient becoming malnourished is not considered a never event by the NHS;
	(10)  what arrangements are in place to carry out nutritional screening of patients on admission to (a) NHS hospitals and (b) care homes;
	(11)  what steps he plans to take to improve nutritional standards in care homes;
	(12)  what proportion of older people in NHS hospitals were malnourished (a) on admission and (b) at discharge in the latest period for which figures are available;
	(13)  what steps his Department is taking to prevent (a) older people becoming malnourished in hospital and (b) their condition worsening during their stay in hospital;
	(14)  how many primary care trusts had implemented the guidance issued by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence on nutritional support in adults in the latest period for which information is available;
	(15)  what assessment he has made of the effects of (a) the work of the Better Hospital Food Panel and (b) the disbanding of that Panel on the level of malnutrition among patients in hospitals.

Paul Burstow: The majority of Commissioning Quality and Innovation (CQUIN) goals are locally agreed and commissioners can already choose to use the CQUIN framework to reward providers for ambitious improvements in nutritional care. Examples of locally agreed CQUIN schemes as well as a list of exemplar CQUIN goals are available on the NHS Institute’s website.
	Despite a number of initiatives by the last Government there is a lack of data against which progress can be measured. No routine collections were commissioned to provide:
	Data on the number of people resident in a care home who were admitted to and discharged from hospital with a diagnosis of malnutrition in England;
	Specific data on the prevalence and costs of malnutrition or the local arrangements that are in place to carry out nutritional screening in England; and
	Information on the number of primary care trusts (PCTs) that have implemented the guidance issued by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence on nutritional support in adults.
	The Health and Social Care Information Centre is able to extract some information pertaining to nutrition from Hospital Episode Statistics data. Annual inspections of food quality and service are undertaken by Patient Environment Action Teams.
	‘Never events’ are defined as serious, largely preventable patient safety incidents that should not occur if the available preventative measures have been implemented by health care providers. The last Government identified eight ‘never events’ the coalition Government undertook to extend the list and following an engagement exercise with NHS organisations, patients, the public, clinical bodies, clinicians and others with an interest expanded it to 25. Failure to prevent a patient becoming malnourished was not included in the expanded list published in February. The list will be kept under review.
	The decision to close the Better Hospital Food Programme (BHF) was taken by the last Government in April 2006, formal monitoring of the programme ceased in 2004. Funding previously allocated centrally was passed directly to the NHS to allow it to develop local services.
	The BHF legacy includes a series of resources which are available on the Hospital Caterers Association website.
	The Government set out their ambitions for developing a library of quality standards in their White Paper, “Equity and Excellence: Liberating the NHS” published in July 2010. The NHS Operating Framework 2011-12 published in December 2010 set out the Government’s plans to commission the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) to develop quality standards on nutrition in hospital, intravenous fluid therapy and pressure ulcers. A full list can be found on the NICE website. NICE has not yet published a timetable for the development of these quality standards; however, we understand that it intends to prepare them over the next two years.

Malnutrition

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many people were recorded as being malnourished (a) on admission and (b) at discharge (i) in England and (ii) in each strategic health authority in each year since 1997-98.

Paul Burstow: The information requested has been placed in the Library.

Malnutrition

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Health with reference to the report Care and Compassion by the Health Service Ombudsman for England, what progress his Department is making in supporting the Care Quality Commission in establishing a national roll-out of spot inspections to check specifically for malnutrition.

Paul Burstow: The Secretary of State for Health, the right hon. Member for South Cambridgeshire (Mr Lansley), has asked the Care Quality Commission (CQC) to carry out a series of inspections of the care provided to elderly patients in national health service hospitals. CQC will inspect around 100 hospital sites and is due to complete its programme of dignity and nutrition inspections by the end of May. CQC will publish a report of each inspection as well as a report setting out the overall findings of the programme of inspections in due course.

Malnutrition

Emily Thornberry: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what training is provided to nurses to identify malnutrition, including in vulnerable groups such as older people.

Anne Milton: The content and standard of healthcare education is the responsibility of the independent regulatory bodies. Their role is that of custodian of quality standards in education and practice. The Nursing and Midwifery Council (NMC), which is the regulatory body with responsibility for nursing, sets standards for nursing and midwifery education programmes.
	All nursing students undertaking pre-registration nursing programmes will learn about nutritional care, including the assessment and monitoring of nutritional status. The NMC has worked closely with organisations such as MENCAP, Age UK, Rethink, and the Alzheimer's Society in the development of new (2010) standards, guidance and advice. The 2010 standards are available at:
	http://standards.nmc-uk.org/Pages/Welcome.aspx
	The new standards will be introduced from September 2011.
	As part of these new standards the NMC has developed guidance on nutrition and fluid management within the essential skills clusters. The NMC essential skills clusters are available at:
	http://standards.nmc-uk.org/Documents/Annexe3 _%20ESCs_16092010.pdf
	Similar arrangements are in place to ensure that adequate nutritional status is maintained in those pre-registration nursing programmes approved under previous (2004) standards.
	The NMC also published in March 2009 Guidance for the care of older people, this applies to all registered nurses not just nursing students. This guidance is available at:
	www.nmc-uk.org/General-public/Older-people-and-their-carers/

Medical Equipment: Hygiene

Paul Beresford: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the contribution of the Minister of State for Health of 28 April 2011, Official Report, column 429, if he will provide details of the research on which his Department is awaiting results before it can make progress on prion decontamination of surgical and medical instruments.

Simon Burns: Through its Policy Research Programme, the Department is commissioning a new programme of research relating to prion decontamination of surgical and medical instruments. Results when available will inform policy on decontamination.

Medical Equipment: Scotland

Paul Beresford: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether his Department (a) has undertaken and (b) plans to undertake an evaluation of the practice in Scotland of using single use tonsillectomy tools compared to the practice in England of no longer so doing.

Anne Milton: The Department has not undertaken and currently has no plans to undertake such an evaluation.
	To date there have been no variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease cases associated with any surgical procedure including tonsillectomy.

Medical Treatments Abroad

Daniel Poulter: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much was spent by the NHS on follow-up care for British citizens who had undergone (a) cosmetic surgery and (b) all types of surgery abroad in 2009-10.

Simon Burns: The information requested is not held centrally.

Monitor

David Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health if he will ensure that Monitor places a higher priority on safeguarding NHS providers than promoting competition.

Simon Burns: The Government are taking the opportunity of a natural break in the passage of the Health and Social Care Bill to pause, listen, reflect and improve the legislation. Choice and Competition is one of four areas of focus. Under the proposals currently set out in the Health and Social Care Bill, Monitor’s overriding duty is to protect and promote the interests of people who use health care services.

NHS Foundation Trusts

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 15 February 2011, Official Report, column 720W, on NHS: legislative framework, when he expects the work programme for the foundation trust pipeline to be published.

Simon Burns: Work is continuing at national, local and regional level to determine the actions that will be required to support all national health service trusts achieve foundation trust status by April 2014. Agreements with NHS trusts are being finalised and will be published once this process is complete. The agreements will set out the actions required by each NHS trust to meet the April 2014 deadline.

NHS Future Forum

Nicholas Soames: To ask the Secretary of State for Health how many members of the NHS Future Forum are from the private sector.

Simon Burns: There are no members of the NHS Future Forum from the private sector. However, the Forum is engaging with the private sector along with all other interested groups.
	Details of the members of the NHS Future Forum are available on the Modernisation of Health and Care website at:
	www.dh.gov.uk/healthandcare

NHS Future Forum

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the oral answer to the right hon. Member for Bermondsey and Old Southwark of 26 April 2011, Official Report, columns 3-4, on NHS reform, how many of the 119 events organised centrally had been organised prior to the announcement of the NHS Future Forum.

Simon Burns: NHS Future Forum members and Ministers are participating in a number of meetings and events across the country to ensure as many voices are heard as possible during the natural break in the passage of the Health and Social Care Bill through Parliament.
	To minimise disruption to practising clinicians and to other stakeholders, the Government and NHS Future Forum have been invited by a range of organisations to use a number of prescheduled meeting times. These include meetings and events with national stakeholders, front-line national health service staff and patients. Where necessary, the proposed agendas for these meetings have been altered to reflect the listening exercise to ensure there is opportunity for explicit discussion around the key themes.
	Where suitable events do not already exist, supplementary meetings including a series of regional events for patient representatives and the voluntary sector have been arranged.

NHS: Finance

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what definition his Department uses of the term equity with regard to health care provision in its Public Health White Paper; and how this definition was determined.

Simon Burns: The public health White Paper, ‘Healthy Lives, Healthy People’, set out that “Directors of Public Health will work with NHS colleagues locally in advising on how to ensure equal access and equity of outcome across the population”. One of the three domains of public health is improving services, which the Faculty of Public Health defines as including equity. Directors of Public Health will advise national health service commissioners to assist them in commissioning services in such a way as to promote equal access for all and so that the design of services acts to improve outcomes, aiming to ensure that outcomes are just, fair and ultimately equally good for the whole population. This will act to reduce health inequalities, which is a key aim of the Government's proposals.
	In line with the requirements of the public sector Equality Duty we would expect commissioners and providers to have due regard to the need to eliminate discrimination, victimisation and harassment; advance equality of opportunity; and foster good relations between people who share a protected characteristic and those who do not.

NHS: Finance

David Blunkett: To ask the Secretary of State for Health on what date Monitor issued its most recent indication to hospitals and hospital trusts of the savings required in the current financial year to meet their targets and to fulfil the requirements placed on them; and if he will make a statement.

Simon Burns: We are informed by the chairman of Monitor (the independent regulator of NHS foundation trusts) that it wrote to national health service trusts, foundation trusts and strategic health authorities to set out its revised financial assumptions on 27 April 2011.
	Monitor periodically reviews its financial assumptions based on fiscal, economic and policy announcements—usually after the publication of the Operating Framework for the NHS in England, at the beginning of the new financial year.

NHS: Negligence

Christopher Leslie: To ask the Secretary of State for Health which successor entities will be responsible for funding the costs of claims for medical or clinical negligence that are current but not yet settled following the abolition of primary care trusts.

Simon Burns: The allocation of the liabilities of primary care trusts will be dealt with using the powers in the Health and Social Care Bill 2011, which is subject to passage through Parliament.

NHS: Private Sector

Simon Hart: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what estimate he has made of the financial benefits to the NHS in England of buying in care and health provision from private hospitals in 2010-11;
	(2)  what arrangements exist for the purchase of private health care by the NHS.

Simon Burns: The purchase of health care by the national health service from independent sector providers takes place as a result of:
	patient choice, where patients choose the provider that best meets their needs. In these circumstances commissioners reimburse providers at the appropriate national tariff irrespective of organisational type;
	procurement by NHS commissioners where they take decisions on the best provider or providers of services for patients and the taxpayer; and
	existing providers of services subcontracting to other providers, including those from the independent sector.
	Information is not collected centrally on the financial benefit of these local decisions.

NHS: Private Sector

David Anderson: To ask the Secretary of State for Health 
	(1)  what research he has (a) commissioned and (b) evaluated on the potential effect on existing NHS service providers of allowing any qualified provider to provide NHS services;
	(2)  what research he has (a) commissioned and (b) evaluated on the potential effects of discontinuing the policy that the NHS is the preferred provider for NHS services in England.

Simon Burns: A detailed assessment and evaluation of greater choice and competition are set out in the impact assessment published alongside the Health and Social Care Bill 2011. Based on current evidence, the Government would expect Any Qualified Provider to incentivise all providers to improve and tailor their services to meet the needs of patients.
	As set out in the Bill impact assessment, a recent large scale qualitative study of the impact of the choice reforms in the national health service suggests that the potential benefits of competition are not being realised to anywhere near the extent possible because of a number of barriers and institutional rigidities: (Brereton and Gubb) ‘Refusing Treatment: The NHS and market-based reform’. Civitas, October 2010). This can found at:
	www.civitas.org.uk/nhs/refusingtreatment_commentary.php
	In addition, two recent quantitative studies on the impact of the introduction of choice and competition into the NHS from 2006 indicate that competition impacts positively on quality. The July 2010 study by health economists Martin Gaynor, Rodrigo Moreno-Serra and Carol Propper can be found at:
	www.bristol.ac.uk/cmpo/publications/papers/2010/wp242.pdf
	The January 2010 study: ‘Does Hospital Competition Save Lives? Evidence from the NHS Patient Choice Reforms’, by Cooper, Gibbons, Jones and McGuire, London School of Economics, Working Paper 16/2010 can be found at:
	http://eprints.lse.ac.uk/28584/
	As part of the current listening exercise, we are focusing on patient choice and competition to understand better how they can drive improvements in the NHS.
	A copy of the Health and Social Care Bill impact assessment has already been placed in the Library.

NHS: Reorganisation

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health with reference to his Department's proposals for NHS reform, if he will make an assessment for benchmarking purposes of the effects of GP budgetholding in the US on (a) access to and (b) quality of health care provision.

Simon Burns: We have no plans to carry out such an assessment. The impact assessment that accompanies the Health and Social Care Bill sets out the Government's assessment of the available evidence on general practitioner-led commissioning. We propose to place a duty on consortia of continuous quality improvement in terms of health outcomes. The NHS Commissioning Board, supported by the National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence, will develop a Commissioning Outcomes Framework so that there is clear, publicly available information on the quality of health care services commissioned by consortia. Measures from the Commissioning Outcomes Framework will be used by the board to hold commissioning consortia to account for the quality of services they commission and the health outcomes they achieve for patients.

NHS: Reorganisation

John Healey: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the oral answer to the right hon. Member for Bermondsey and Old Southwark of 26 April 2011, Official Report, columns 3-4, on NHS reform, what the (a) date, (b) location and (c) attendance list was of each of the 119 events.

Simon Burns: The NHS Future Forum is participating in a number of meetings and events throughout the listening period. There will be in excess of 150 events over the eight week period, involving a wide range of participants from across the national health service, local government, third sector and beyond. The location of these events will largely be determined by the host organisation and as such, they will be held all over the country.
	We will publish a weekly update on the activity of Forum members, including who they have heard from, which will be available through the Modernisation of Health and Care website at:
	www.dh.gov.uk/healthandcare
	Details of all the listening events held, including dates, location and audience, will be released alongside the NHS Future Forum’s report.

Nutrition

Stephen Gilbert: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to improve standards of nutrition of residents of (a) care homes and (b) hospitals.

Paul Burstow: The coalition Government recognise the importance of good nutrition and hydration for wellbeing, health maintenance and recovery for people of all ages in any care setting. The Department is currently supporting a number of programmes aimed at improving standards of nutrition and hydration including the:
	Development of a national clinical audit of food and nutrition that will span both health and social care and provide a measure of compliance with NICE guidance. This work is being taken forward by a collaboration of Diabetes and Nutritional Sciences Department and national Nursing Research Unit at King's College London and King's Health Partners;
	Essence of Care benchmarking system which covers all aspects of fundamental care including food and drink;
	Productive Ward Series which enables nurses to spend more time engaged in direct patient care;
	Confidence in Caring Programme, which helps front-line nurses improve their interaction with patients;
	'Red tray' scheme, which ensures that patients at risk of poor nutrition are identified for special attention;
	Introduction in October 2010 of new essential standards of safety and quality in service provision that all health and social care providers registered with the CQC must comply with, which includes requirements in respect of food and hydration;
	High Impact Action (HIA) work, "Keeping Patients Nourished" led by the chief nurses from the 10 strategic health authorities has identified older people as a priority area of care upon which nurses could facilitate progress, making support materials available to help nurses deliver; and
	During their training, all student nurses learn about nutritional care, including the assessment and monitoring of nutritional status.
	The Health Service Ombudsman's Report, “Care and Compassion?”, published in February highlighted concerns about nutrition arising from complaints from the public. In response the Department commissioned a series of unannounced inspections by the Care Quality Commission (CQC) to shed light on the level of care provided to older patients. The CQC will publish a report at the end of these inspections.
	In “Healthy Lives, Healthy People: consultation on the funding and commissioning routes of public health”, the coalition Government proposed that under the new arrangements for public health, Public Health England, within the Department of Health, would take responsibility for running national nutrition programmes, whilst local authorities would take on responsibility for locally-led programmes. The results of the consultation will be published later this year.

Plastic Surgery

Mike Weatherley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to increase the quality of information given to cosmetic surgery patients prior to surgery.

Simon Burns: Guidance from the General Medical Council (GMC) makes clear that all doctors are responsible for ensuring that patients have sufficient information to make an informed decision about the treatments offered to them. This is particularly important in the case of treatments carried out for purely cosmetic reasons, that is to say where there is no underlying health need. The GMC's guidance is supplemented by the publication “Good medical practice in cosmetic surgery” which was developed by the Independent Healthcare Advisory Service in collaboration with the Association of Surgeons of Great Britain and Ireland, the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons, the British Association of Plastic Surgeons, and others leading organisations in this field.
	Information for patients about cosmetic surgery in general and about the most common cosmetic procedures is available from NHS Choices, from the website “Patient UK”, from the British Association of Aesthetic Plastic Surgeons, and from other readily available sources.

Plastic Surgery: Regulation

Daniel Poulter: To ask the Secretary of State for Health whether his Department is taking steps to improve the regulation of cosmetic surgery.

Mike Weatherley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has for the regulation of the cosmetic surgery industry following the National Confidential Enquiry into Patient Outcome and Death review of the organisational structures surrounding cosmetic surgery.

Simon Burns: The regulation of cosmetic surgery has already been tightened up since the fieldwork carried out by the National Confidential Enquiry into Patient Outcome and Death. Since October 2011 all cosmetic surgery providers, whether in the national health service or in the independent sector, have been subject to regulation by the Care Quality Commission against requirements set out in regulations. The Commission has tough enforcement powers and can take prompt actions where providers fail to comply with the safety and quality requirements.
	In addition, individual doctors are now subject to the oversight of a “responsible officer” in respect to all aspects of their clinical practice, including any cosmetic procedures carried out in the private sector. When medical revalidation is introduced, all doctors will be periodically assessed for their competence across the whole area of their clinical practice.

Sex: Health Education

Mike Weatherley: To ask the Secretary of State for Health what plans he has to raise sexual health awareness following the expiration of the National Health Strategy and the Teenage Pregnancy Strategy.

Anne Milton: The Public Health White Paper highlighted the development of a suite of documents which would set out in more detail the Government’s approach to tackling key determinants of poor health and health inequalities, one of which would cover sexual health.
	The Department is currently working closely with stakeholders and experts in the field in developing a new sexual health policy document. This document will look at holistic sexual health needs across the population while still allowing a focus in on specific issues relating to those who are at higher risk of poor sexual health. We expect to publish the document later this year.

Tobacco: Retail Trade

Adrian Sanders: To ask the Secretary of State for Health pursuant to the answer of 21 March 2011, Official Report, column 774W, on tobacco: sales, what the arrangements are that will comply with the Government's one-in, one-out policy on regulation; and which regulations have been identified to be removed.

Simon Burns: The Department scrutinises all measures, as part of the flow of regulation, to identify outs, for the one-in, one-out regulatory management system. This is a continuous process. The Department is leading the “Healthy living and social care” theme of the Red Tape Challenge, launched by the Prime Minister on 7 April 2011 and is actively reviewing its stock of regulation, impacting business and civil society organisations. This theme goes live on the Red Tape Challenge website on 23 June.